Together, Apart
by Kirk4ever
Summary: Sequel to 'Not Just An Annoying Little Sister'. Xover with AtS. Season 4 and 1. Angel and Buffy are together again, and determined to make it work this time ... rating just in case. OMG yes, that is an update!
1. End Of The Summer

Okay, so new story! I'm going to try and keep with both plotlines, but I'm not going to put in all the dialogue – just bits that I'm changing. This first 'episode' is an attempt to set the scene both Angel and Buffy changes. If bits are skipped out, just assume they are either exactly the same, or so close that it isn't worth it and a mention will be made later.

I wanted this to be posted about a week ago, but fanfiction seemed to be down, so sorry you had to wait so long on top of me being away for three weeks anyway. Here it is – finally …… the sequel!

* * *

It was nighttime in the main Sunnydale cemetery, the only light coming from the street lamps and passing cars, and the only movement inside the graveyard was the swaying trees in the wind and two girls. Both seemed unconcerned by their location, although everyone in Sunnydale knew that the graveyards at nighttime are just not the safest place to be; in fact the two teenagers were having a casual conversation.

One of them sighed, and paced impatiently in front of a gravestone. She carried a stake in one hand.

"Anything?"

The other girl was sitting on a memorial stone with a group of papers in her hands

"Ah! 'Introduction to the Modern Novel.' "A survey study of twentieth century novelists." Open to freshmen, you might like that."

Buffy was still rather sceptical.

"'Introduction to the Modern Novel?' I'm guessing I'd probably have to read the modern novel." That was a scary thought, although Angel would probably be able to help her there. It was quite an advantage to have a 243-year-old boyfriend at times.

"Maybe more than one, sorry Buffy."

"I like books, not as much as Angel, but then he doesn't really get out much during the day. Do they have an introduction to the modern blurb?"

Willow looked down, scanned the page and shook her head. Then she looked back down again.

"Short story? And where is Angel anyway? He's normally on patrol with you – he's hardly let you out of his sight all summer."

"Well, I think he just wants me to know that he isn't leaving me – he's been living out of the bag of stuff he brought back with him and bits that he left at the mansion when he left coz he didn't want to go back to LA for a few days. I've finally convinced him to get the rest of his stuff, so he's gone for tonight; he'll get his stuff together and be back an hour after sunset tomorrow. But short story, that's good.

"Oh, no. It conflicts with Psych."

"Maybe I shouldn't take Psych."

"You gotta. I-It's fun, a-and you can use it as your science requirement. Anyway, Professor Walsh is supposed to be great. She's like, world-renowned."

"How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be 'nowned' first?"

"Yes, first there's the painful 'nowning' process. Wait! 'Images of Pop Culture.' This is good. T-They watch movies, T-TV shows, even commercials. So are you Bronzing tomorrow with Angel, or what?"

"I dunno yet. I think I'm doing a quick patrol, and then helping him move all his stuff after that. There probably wont be much time left to bronze it. Maybe the day after, or I could stop by before sunset? Wait, go back a minute. Did you say watching TV and movies? For credit?"

Willow laughed. "Isn't college cool? You should stop by – the gang … we all miss you, you know. This summer, you've been real busy it seems, with … everything."

Buffy looked a bit guilty. "Sorry, Wills. I have kind of been wrapped up with Angel and everything. I missed him!"

"Yeah I know. I think I'd be the same if Oz left and came back."

"But Pop Culture? How'd I miss that one?"

Buffy walked over and sat beside Willow. Willow just looked at her.

"You did sort of wait till the last minute with your course selection."

"Sorry, 'Miss I-chose-my-major-in-playgroup'. I still have a week left, anyway!'"

"That's an exaggeration. I just, you know, think it's good to be prepared. Don't want to be caught unawares. Didn't Angel try to make you choose a couple of weeks ago?"

Buffy grinned, and behind them a hand thrust up out of a fresh grave.

"Now that was a conversation I'll never forget. He just couldn't understand why I couldn't pick anything, and then we got interrupted. He never brought it up again – I think he just gave up on me. And anyway, it's been a very slay-heavy summer. I just haven't had a whole lot of time to think about life at UC Sunnydale."

A vampire's head and shoulders emerged from the grave, but the girls didn't notice, too engrossed in their conversation.

"You mean, between seeing Angel, hanging with Dawn coz all her friends are on holiday and slaying. But university! It's so exciting, isn't it?" It wasn't really a question. Willow was so excited about being out in the big wide world.

Buffy wasn't convinced. She would always have a full time job that no one could ever know about, and as nice as college and having a normal day life went, it could be a strain. She had to skip so much of high school to be the slayer – no other slayers had ever had to cope! Faith had dropped out, and had been on her own (and we all know how well that went!) and all other slayers (like Kendra) had been living with their watchers for their entire lives, in the world, but apart from it.

"Yeah! It's gonna be an adjustment." She had to be optimistic, if not for herself then for willow.

"Yeah, it's like, five miles away. It's uncharted territory."

Behind them, still unnoticed, the vampire struggled to climb up and out of his grave.

"Giles said I have to be secret-identity gal again."

"That makes sense."

The vampire made it out of the grave and started walking toward them, his face vamped out.

"It's gonna be tough, though... with a roommate." A roommate that wasn't Willow or Angel that is…

"Yeah." It was okay for Willow! She didn't have to figure out how to get past a roomie. Then again, she did have an out of college boyfriend, and it's not like she would really worry about her. Buffy could just blame it on the night life and be thankful that slayers didn't need as much sleep as normal people – four hours was usually more than enough to refresh her, and give herself a lie-in on a day when she had no classes. When she slept with Angel's arms around her though, less hours were needed, and more were wanted.

Buffy tried to put across some of her fears, and hoped that Willow understood. For someone so normal, her best friend could understand quite a lot about how she felt about slaying. Angel was better, but Angel was in LA for two days … two torturous days.

"I'm psyched about college. Definitely. I just need to figure out how it's going to work with my extra-curricular activities." As she talked, the vampire smiled and moved closer, but stopped when he saw the large assortment of weapons stacked against a gravestone. He looked at Buffy, the smile gone, shook his head, turned and walked away. "I just can't let it take the edge off my slaying. I gotta stay sharp." She looked behind her toward the fresh grave. "Is this guy ever gonna wake up?"

* * *

Angel entered his old apartment carrying two collapsed cardboard boxes. He dumped them unceremoniously on the floor and began to relax, taking off his jacket and shoes, dropping the jacket over the back of a sofa and leaving his shoes as they were. Then he froze, and looked over his shoulder.

"I like the place. I mean it's not much with the view, but it has a nice bat-cave sort of an air to it."

"Who are you?" Angel might not have been living there anymore, but it was still his apartment.

"Doyle." He started playing with a deck of cards in his hands, and Angel turned around fully.

"You don't smell human. And your name doesn't tell me who you are – what you are."

"Now that's a bit rude. So happens that I am very much human." He sneezed. "On my mother's side." He shook his head and the spikes that came up with the sneeze quickly disappeared. Doyle walked past Angel and settled himself comfortably on the sofa. "Well, I come in uninvited, so you know I'm not a vampire like yourself."

"What do you want?"

"I've been sent. By the Powers That Be."

"The powers that be what?"

"Let me tell you a little bedtime story."

Angel was unimpressed. He was tired, slightly hungry, and wanted to get whatever this was over and done with so that he could get back to Buffy. If he hurried, he thought he would be able to pack up and get back just in time for sunrise, so he could spend all of tomorrow night with her.

"But I'm not sleepy." So what if he was? He didn't have to put up with this rubbish!

"Once upon a time" Angel inwardly groaned, "there was a vampire." He groaned again – this was going to be a biography. "And he was the meanest vampire in all the land. All the other vampires were afraid of him, he was such a - bastard." Well, at least he had a reputation to go with the guilt! "Then one day he was cursed by gypsies. They restored his human soul. And all of a sudden he is mad with guilt. You know: 'What have I done?' You know, he's freaked." Angel knew all right. He also knew what happened next … now, how to get rid of the annoying half demon?

Angel sat down.

"Okay. Now I'm sleepy." And still Doyle continued – it didn't work.

"Yeah, well, it's a fairly dull tale. It needs a little sex, is my feeling. So sure enough: enter the girl." Angel smiled. "Pretty little blonde thing", he whistled, and Angel scowled at him. Buffy was **his** girl – no one had the right to, to whistle at her like some common bar maid. "Vampire Slayer by trade. And our vampire falls madly in love with her." Didn't he know it… "Eventually the two of them, - well, they get fleshy with one another. Well, I guess the technical term is perfect happiness." Best night of his unlife. But then … "But when our boy gets there, he goes bad again. He kills again. It's ugly." He so does not need reminding of that. "So when he gets his soul back for the second time, he figures hey, he can't be any where near Miss young puppy eyes without endangering them both." Aren't you missing a bit of that story out there, Doyle? There was a lot of other stuff that came before he decided to leave her. "So what does he do? He takes off. Goes to LA. To fight evil - and atone for his crimes. He's a shadow, - a faceless champion of the hapless human race." Worst mistake out of the lot of them. Good job Dawn came along when she did … "Say you wouldn't have a beer of any kind in here, would you?"

"No."

"Come on, you must have something besides pig's blood!" Angel got up off the sofa.

"Okay. You've told me the story of my life up till two months ago, but since I was there, I already knew, and you haven't finished it. So why aren't I kicking you out? I might not live here anymore, but it's still my property."

Doyle looked into the refrigerator that holds two old bags of blood.

"What do you mean you don't live here anymore? And what happened two months ago? I'm meant to know these things … but you haven't chucked me out quite yet because now I'm going to tell you what happens next. You see this vampire; he thinks he's helping. Fighting the demons. Staying away from the humans so as not to be tempted. Doing penance in his little - cell. But he's cut off. From every thing. From the people he's trying to help."

"You're a little behind the times, mate. I don't live here anymore, because I moved back to Sunnydale – to be with my slayer. I'm only back to move my stuff, hence the boxes and me being a little pissed off. I was like that for all of one week before Buffy's sister found me and brought me home."

"You sure?"

"Well, as it's my life, and I was there – yes."

"Oh." Doyle seemed genuinely confused. "You know I'm parched from all this yakking, man. Let's go treat me to a Billy Dee."

Angel sighed. Somehow, he knew he would regret this.

* * *

It was perhaps two hours till sunrise, the all night clubbers were heading back home, and the things that go bump in the night had just finished having dinner. Angel and Doyle were walking on the street, just having come back from a liquor store, the half demon carrying a bottle in a brown paper bag

"So you're telling me that the info I got is extremely out of date, and mostly wrong –you see, I thought I was meant to be talking to you about reaching out to people, showing them the love and hope still left in the world."

An old lady dressed in rags came up to the pair and asked him for some change.

"Get a job, you lazy sow." Angel shoved some money into her hand, and smirked as Doyle carried on. "I was meant to be spewing out crap about letting them into your heart. You know: 'It's not about saving lives; it's about saving souls.'"

"I want to know who sent you, and how you got your … misinformation."

"I'm honestly not sure. They don't speak to me direct. I get - visions. Which is to say great splitting migraines that come with pictures. A name, a face. I don't know who sends them. I just know whoever sends them is more powerful than me or you, and their just trying to make things right. One a while back showed me your place – old place – and ever since then, I've visited maybe once a week to see if you were there; I got lucky today I s'pose."

Angel was still sceptical.

"Why you, and me?"

"We all got something to atone for." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. "Had a vision this morning. When the blinding pain stopped I wrote this down. Nice looking girl, needs help"

_Tina Coffee Spot_

"Help with what?"

"How should I know? That's your business. I just take the names."

"Okay, so how am I supposed to know?"

"You're supposed to get into her life, remember? Get involved. Look, High School's over, boy. It's time to make with the grown up talk."

"I'm not good with people, and I already have things to do – am I just supposed to leave Buffy again?"

"I dunno, but whoever or whatever these people are, they want you here in LA, so you'd better sort out your personal life to suit. They're a hell of a lot more powerful than you and her put together, so you'd better listen to them first, and her second."

"Nothing comes before Buffy – I've learnt that lesson too many times the hard way, not again. I promised I wouldn't leave her."

"So don't."

"Well, she can't exactly leave the Hellmouth to fend for itself!"

"Sort it out later, if I'm not mistaken, you have to get home rather quickly, otherwise you might get a bit of sunburn."

Angel just scowled in his general direction.

* * *

Wow. That was longer than I had anticipated. 


	2. Promises

"Buffy."

"Angel"

They never put anything in front of each other's names, each of them tried, but it just didn't work; it was impossible to say 'hi', because then you would inevitably have to say 'bye' and they just didn't. 'Goodbye' was far too final. Even on the phone, they would not say 'goodbye'; it would be 'I love you – hang up' or 'see you when you get home – hang up', never 'see you later' or 'bye, love'. It was those differences that kept them apart from other lovers. They had been put through too much to let it all go to waste, or to pretend that neither was afraid of the other's departure. Simple 'hellos' could not express what each of them felt when they heard the other

"You coming home tonight, Angel? I miss you." And yet he was only gone for – she looked at the clock – just over twelve hours. Angel had left at ten the night before, and had called as soon as he knew she would be up.

He knew her holiday schedule by heart (just as he had known her old school one), knew that in an hour, because it was a Saturday, she would be going out to do something with Dawn until about four, when normally, she would go over to the mansion before patrolling or going to the bronze. When Dawn had school (it had started two weeks ago), she would hang out with Willow or Oz until four, or just stay in. He wasn't usually much company until after four, and there wasn't much to do in Sunnydale. If Buffy's mother went out of town, there were three options: Buffy and Dawn stayed with him, Dawn stayed at a friend's house and Buffy stayed with him, or he spent the night (and day) in Buffy's room with the curtains closed. One of the many rooms in the mansion had been set up as a working guest room for Dawn just in case she ever needed it.

"Slight problem with that – can you come over this afternoon, I need to talk to you before I leave LA, and I'm not sure your mother would like the phone bill if we didn't talk in person. I would come to you, but –"

"Sunlight. Is this going to be a bad talk? Will sewers be involved?" She couldn't mask her worry. If he couldn't talk over the phone, but it was that urgent, she didn't know what else it could be.

"Buffy, I'm not leaving you – I promised. And there will be no sewers unless I really cant help it. You can bring Dawn if you want, she might even be able to help – I have a problem of the non-demon variety … as yet. There may be demons involved later, but for now, I think it's safe." Angel might not have actually known Dawn before he left for LA, but in the last two months, he had grown to love the kid like a little sister, like his Kathy.

"Okay, I'll get Oz or Giles to give us a lift over – you sure it isn't a bad thing?"

"Well, there might be some bag thing elements to it, but I haven't set it out to be a bad thing – would I invite Dawn if it were bad? Beside the fact that she actually knows where I am, that it."

"I would find you, even if I were blind. You know that, Angel."

"I know, sweetheart. I love you, see you at three?"

"Love you too." They both hung up simultaneously.

"Dawn! You wanna go to LA for the weekend? Mum's out tonight." Dawn ran down the stairs.

"Mum's out most nights now – it's like she doesn't even care if you're here to 'baby-sit' me … not that I need it."

"By law you do, and you don't like being alone anyway, so there aint a problem, is there." The conversation was one that was held at least twice a week, always the same.

"Yeah – whatever. Why are we going to LA? I think dad's still on a cough cough business trip."

"Angel needs to talk face to face sometime before tonight – sunlight means I have to go to him, and he invited you because he knew we were planning on spending the day together. So, wanna come with? Bring a change of clothes for tomorrow and something nice to wear tonight just in case – you never know with Angel. He has bathroom stuff and everything, so don't worry about that."

"I have spent the night there before you know – that is how you two got back together."

"And I will be forever grateful. Now, coming or staying with Willow?"

"Coming with. Gimme half an hour?"

"You can have a whole hour if you want – I'm taking it!"

Two hours later, Buffy was being shown the way to Angel's old apartment, Oz having just left after driving them. Buffy owed him, but she wasn't sure when that dept would have to be repaid, or what it would be. It was just a good job it wasn't Xander she owed – that could get ugly. Xander still wasn't back from his trip, and Buffy was dreading telling him about Angel more and more everyday. The best plan so far was to just meet with Xander and drag Angel along at the same time, but that could get a bit messy.

"Angel? We're here."

"I noticed." Buffy yelped as his hands came around her waist. She had felt him in the room, but hadn't realised that he was directly behind her; from her sister's giggling, she guessed that Dawn had probably seen him and had just kept quiet to bug her. She did that a lot.

"So what's the what, Angel? You sounded kind of panicked on the phone, but you said it wasn't a bad thing … tell me?" Her lover took her by the hand and showed her to the sofa before sitting down and pulling her into his lap. He wasn't quite sure how any of this would go, but he felt that physical contact was a necessity.

"Dawn, I bought a few new books and a magazine – they're in the bedroom. Give us a few minutes, would you."

"Sure." She wandered off to investigate what the 243-year-old male had bought for a 12-year-old girl. It was probably a really weird book that had been recommended to him or something. And when did he have the time to buy it?

"Spill Angel. What has you so wigged?"

"This will sound really strange, so just bear with me and don't interrupt, K?"

"Okay." He kissed her lightly on the nose.

"I said don't interrupt."

She just giggled in response. Buffy liked this new Angel, the one who joked sometimes but was still exactly the way she wanted, needed and loved him. Then again, she wasn't sure there could be an Angel she didn't love – she had even had slight feelings for his demon, which was a scary thought.

"When I got back here yesterday, there was some guy in the apartment waiting for me – his name's Doyle apparently. Anyway, he's a half braken-demon (perfectly harmless … well they aren't evil anyway) and it seems that he has been looking for me for two months. He was sent to find me, because I have potential or something, and he had information about my life up until two months ago – he didn't know I went back to you. He gets these vision things from some higher power – good guys as far as I know – and he thinks that I'm the one who has to carry them out and save people … in LA." He paused to let all the information sink in before continuing. "I have a current 'quest' thing that he gave me last night, and he says that it's my destiny to be in LA and not in Sunnydale – where I **want** to be … where you are. Okay, you can speak again, but you have to know that I don't want to ever leave you."

"So you have to be here, doing some visiony thing, while I'm stuck on the Hellmouth being the slayer. You have to leave me then! I thought you said this wasn't going to be a bad thing – you promised you wouldn't leave me." She began to cry, turning her head so that his chest muffled her sorrow. "You promised, you promised."


	3. Destiny Sucks

By the time Buffy could talk rationally again, there was only one hour left until sundown, and Angel knew that they somehow had to reach a decision. Would he have to leave her again, ignore this Doyle guy, or could they make it work long distance – just one more obstacle in their way. Dawn had stayed in the bedroom the entire time, either too afraid to come out, or Doyle really had known which books and magazines to buy for a young girl. Angel really didn't know anything about him; for all he knew, Doyle could have a daughter, or niece. It was a mystery that he wanted to be solved if he was going to obey his destiny.

"Buffy, I'm not going to leave you. I asked you to come here so that we could talk about what's going to happen – I don't even know if I'm gonna go along with all of this vision and destiny stuff, and especially not if it means loosing you. I wont make the decision for you, so I need you to tell me what you think I should do."

"Destiny sucks." If the situation hadn't been so serious, her typical Buffy answer would have forced a chuckle from him. As it was, he couldn't even coax a smile onto his face. The whole circumstance sucked. None of it was fair – he couldn't have his moment of happiness, but couldn't leave the one person who could provide it; they both had destinies, neither coinciding with each others. Those gypsies really knew what they were doing when they cursed him, but letting him know about the true happiness bit would have been nice … or just leaving it out altogether. But then, he wouldn't be in so much of a fix now, and that wouldn't be as much fun!

"I know, luv, but what can we do? You quit the council, but have carried on slaying, and just because I help you doesn't mean that I don't need to fight in my own way; fight for my redemption. You never know, a miracle might happen along the way and we might be able to bind my soul. Maybe find a more experienced Wicca to help Willow if she's willing. It could happen."

"It could happen in Sunnydale! I don't want you to leave me" 'again.' The last word went unsaid, but Angel knew she was thinking it – it would be a long time before they both got over him leaving her, even if it had been for a week. Not being able to make-up 'properly' was also a rut in their already pot-hole covered road.

"Well, how about we finish this vision, and then see what happens? We haven't got anything to loose, and I can take you out to coffee at the same time. We haven't had a real date in a while, and it would be something new."

"But caffeine makes you jittery."

"So I'll have something else, or just watch you have some. It's not like I need the sustenance."

"Sounds like a plan, what do we do with Dawn? If it's a demony thing, I don't want her near, and if it isn't … it's a date with my boyfriend, and she cant tag along!"

Angel laughed softly, glad that the trauma was over for now, but still somewhat dreading what was to come.

"Is Oz still in town? Or you dad maybe? I wouldn't really like to leave her here – anyone can come into a demon's home, and it has sewer access."

"I can drop her at dad's house and hope that everything goes okay … it's sort of illegal, but we wont be out the whole night, and the neighbours know both of us pretty well for people that are only there a few times a year."

* * *

Two hours later, Dawn was safely spending the evening with Mr and Mrs Jones, who owned the apartment below Hank Summers, and Angel and Buffy were slowly making their way towards the coffee place that Doyle had given to Angel.

"So what exactly are we trying to do here? All we have is a name, and know that she needs help."

"I was kinda hoping you'd be able to help me out there – if you were a girl in trouble and a stranger asked you if he could help you, what would you think! I don't even know what kind of trouble she's in – for all I know, it could be something as simple as having run away from home and not having the money to get back."

"Running away from home isn't simple, Angel. It takes a lot of desperation before you get that far, and by then, logic doesn't really have a big role in your life anyway."

He kissed the top of her head and shut up (a very wise move in my opinion). They continued to walk down the dark streets of LA with Angel's arm around the slayer's waist, and her head leaning slightly on his shoulder.

* * *

On my time scale, there are still a few days before Buffy starts university (lets say she starts on a Wednesday okay!), so 'City Of …' will finish before the rest of 'Freshman' starts. 


	4. Tina

The coffee spot was busy for that time of night, but then there were only two waitresses and one other guy who Angel assumed to be the boss. As one of the girls came over to their table, Angel was busy listening to a different conversation.

_Guy: "Tina, I've got to do it by seniority. Everybody wants to work extra hours." _

_Tina: "I know. It's just - I just need... Well, I'm good for any Saturday night. If people want to go out, I'll double shift or what ever." _

_Guy: "Well, you're on the list, okay?" _

_Tina: "Thanks." _

"Angel!"

"Hmm?" He broke out of his revere to look at his girlfriend, who had an exasperated look on her face."

"I said, what do you want?" Angel was confused as to why this was important; he came to this place to do a job, and it's not like he needed the coffee … or anything else they would sell in this place. Then he remembered that this was meant o be a date, and looked slightly sheepish.

"Sorry, baby, mind was elsewhere. Hot chocolate? I dunno, whatever you want is fine."

Buffy shared a glance with the girl waiting on their order.

"I wonder about him sometimes … two hot chocolates and a plain muffin please."

"Sure. Tina'll be over with it in a few."

Angel and Buffy looked at each other – a chance to find out what they were actually meant to be doing here. Buffy just hoped they could do it without freaking her too much. She didn't look young enough to be a _real_ runaway, most likely she just left home to start her own life and was having a few problems with her plans.

* * *

Sure enough, within ten minutes, Tina was on her way over to them, a tray with two mugs and a plate on it with her. As she got closer, Buffy became aware that the white dog under the table next to them had been moving around and got its lead tangled up with a few chairs; chairs that Tina was about to walk into. Sure enough, tine gave a start, and the tray wobbled a bit, one of the chocolates sliding off of it. Without even thinking about it, Angel reached out and caught it without spilling a drop.

"Wow. Good reflexes." Tina was obviously impressed with his supernatural skills.

"Well, thanks, these come out of my pay check." Angel looked around, slightly uncomfortable.

"No problem." The quick shake of his girl's head told him that now was not the time to ask her about whatever it was that he was meant to be asking her about. Instead, Buffy took the initiative and began a conversation with the already flustered young woman.

"They really take it out of your pay check – I thought that was only at the place that I worked at! It's not fair when you really need the money."

"Nope, it's here too apparently. And I know what you mean about the money, I really nee extra shifts, but so does everyone!"

Angel took his queue, and tried desperately to find out what he had to do without seeming too strange.

"So, you're, are you happy working here?" Tina looked up.

"What?"

"Well, you look sort off down, and you sounded like you really do need the money – giving up all your Saturday like that."

"You've been watching me?"

"He just has really good hearing. Really, really good …" Buffy saved him before he started to sound like a stalker.

"Am I happy? Do you have three hours?"

"We're not doing much."

"I get off at ten."

"Angel, I'm going to go and get Dawn – this doesn't look like you need that much help anymore, and I don't want to leave her alone with the Jones' … they smell funny." The vampire laughed and kissed her on the head.

"I'll see you later, Buffy. Wait for me at the apartment?"

"See you then." No goodbyes for Angel and Buffy.

* * *

Short, I know, but I got kind of stuck … have to figure out what to do with Cordy … 


	5. Bollywood Parties

Angel waited outside for Tina after Buffy went to get dawn at ten to ten. Half an hour later, Tina came out of the Coffee Spot wearing a black sleeveless evening dress.

"Wow. I suddenly feel underdressed. Did you want to have a drink or something? I don't think my girlfriend would like it much though."

Tina pulled a bottle of mace out of her purse and aimed it at Angel's face

"I know who you are and what you're doing here. Stay the hell away from me. And you tell Russell to leave me alone."

"I guess I wasn't as discreet as I thought. Who's Russell though? I don't know anyone named Russell."

"You're lying."

"No I'm not." Why did he get the feeling that this was turning into a playground argument? …

"Then why were you watching me?"

"Because I thought you needed some help, I was told that you need help." He just hoped that by telling her he already knew of her she wouldn't think that he was stalking her – the whole thing had an atmosphere of a stalker and his prey.

"So you know who I am, and think I need help, but don't know what with?"

"That's about it – I know how it sounds, my girlfriend wanted to be the one to tell you, but she had to go."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't. Who's Russell?"

Tina looked at him a while longer then lowered her mace, shook her head and started to walk past him. Angel turned with her and called out,

"I'd like to help."

"The only help I need is a ticket home. - And that wasn't me asking for money."

"Where's home." He was at least getting somewhere. Maybe he was meant to get her home … but this Russell person sounded a bit dodgy too.

"Missoula, Montana. You've been to Missoula?"

"Yeah … it's pretty country."

"Lots of open land, lots of nothing else – I came here to become a movie star." Buffy's guess had been right on the mark then. "But they weren't hiring. Well, I have a fabulous Hollywood party to go to." Somehow, he doubted that. "Hence the glamour. The girl giving it owes my security deposit." That's more likely "Well, it was nice threatening you."

"Nice to be threatened." He paused and thought for a second. "You need a lift? My car's just down the road."

* * *

They were pounced on as soon as they stepped inside.

"Tina! Smile for the camera. And who is this hunk of tall, dark and handsome?" The hunk of tall dark and handsome in question shifted nervously. He didn't want to be here, and he didn't want to be here without Buffy if he had to be here, which he had to be. It was a lose, lose situation.

"Just a friend. Margo, I really need to talk to you."

"Uh, grab yourself a drink. I'll be right there." Great, he was gonna be here even longer. Tina picked up a star shaped sandwich from the refreshment table

"Cute. Everyone's a star."

Angel decided to try again, maybe he would get an answer this time.

"Who's Russell?"

"He is someone I made the mistake of trusting." Before he got the chance to ask anything else, Tina's friend came back.

"Here I am."

"This wont take long." Great, he was gonna be left on his own, in clothes that didn't fit the theme and not knowing anything.

"I would not leave that one unattended." Was that a compliment? The two girls left and Angel wandered around the party looking lost and confused. Before he heard a familiar voice.

"You know, they asked me to come back and read for a third time! I'm and actress. I don't put up with things like that!"

"Cordelia?" He might as well talk to her instead of wandering aimlessly.

"Oh, my god. Angel?"

"Nice to see a familiar face." Even if it was Queen C!

"I didn't know you were in LA. Are you living here?"

"I was, but now I'm back in Sunnydale – I'm here for the weekend to clear out my apartment and take care of a few things. We were wondering where you'd gone, haven't seen you since your graduation, and Buffy said she hasn't seen you since two days after that!"

"So are you still," she held up her hands like claws and made a face, "grrr?" Angel had to laugh at her.

"Yeah, there's not actually - a cure for that." God, but how he wished there was. No more curse, no more darkness …

"Right. But you're not evil, I mean your not here to bite people? You with Buffy again – just promise me you wont get groiny with her?"

"Don't worry, Cordy – we're careful. I'm not evil, here with a friend actually."

"Oh, good…" Should he be offended that she was so relieved, or semi-proud of his demon?

"So you living here?"

"mm-umm. Malibu. A small condo on the beach. It's not a private beach, but I'm young so I forbear."

"You're acting?" He never figured her for an actress, but then Buffy wasn't the type you would expect to be slaying vampires either.

"Can you believe it? I mean I just started it to make some quick cash, and then boom, it was like my life! - Well, it was nice seeing you, but I've got to get mingly. I really should be talking to people that are somebody." She walked away very quickly.

"It's nice that she's grown as a person."

* * *

He wandered around a bit more, ran into a guy who seemed to think he was an actor ('please don't say I look like the Hollywood type?!') until he saw Tina again. She was talking to a black haired guy who looked only mildly menacing, but then, Angel had super strength, so not many people looked menacing to him – unless there were a lot of them …

"Russell just wants to see you."

"Leave me alone!" 'So maybe he is who I have to save her from'. As she saw Angel, she walked over really quickly.

"Of course she doesn't have the money yet."

"Who's that?" He really wanted some useful information before he turned to dust!

"Stacy? He's just a creep. Can we please go?" No such luck.

"Yeah."


	6. Who's Russell?

"Buffy? Dawn? You here?"

"Yeah, Angel. Dawn's just gone to sleep and I was just heading to bed myself – coming?" Buffy stopped as she saw Tina with a bag and a devastated look. "Or not, whatever. What's going on, guys?"

"Tina needs a safe place to stay while we figure things out. I didn't think you'd mind all that much. Dawn on the sofa?"

"Yeah … you got another sofa that I don't know about?"

"No." He turned to Tina, "You mind sleeping on the floor? I've got loads of blankets … okay, they're mostly towels, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too uncomfortable."

"That's fine."

Buffy stepped forward.

"Do you want anything – do we have anything, Angel?" He loved the way she said 'we'. It was like this was her apartment too, not his old one.

"Well, I did have tea I think, but I'm not sure, and that was two months ago, so …"

"You go on holiday together then? Only just get back."

"No, I moved back home, and just never got back up here to relocate my stuff."

"Oh. I'm good on the tea front, if you don't mind, I'll just go to sleep – it's been a long couple of hours."

"Night, Tina. We'll talk in the morning."

* * *

"Russell have a last name?"

It was morning all too soon, and Angel, Buffy and Dawn were trying to get information on this 'Russell' person. Until it was proven otherwise, Angel and Buffy were leaving it as a non-demonic thing and were including dawn, but if any demon activity was reported in the vicinity of Russell, she would stop working on the 'case' faster than you can say "demon".

"Yeah, but you don't need to know it. You've done enough already."

"You're forgetting that I was told you need help."

"You never explained who told you about me."

"That's because I don't know myself – I just knew about you." Tina admitted defeat and began to talk, slowly and haltingly, as if afraid that he would jump out and get her at any possible time.

"He's the kind of guy that can get away with murder."

"Who'd he murder?" Dawn was entirely too not upset by the mention of murder in Buffy's opinion. She shouldn't have been asking questions like that … but they did need to be asked.

"I don't know. Maybe nobody. - He likes - he likes pain. I mean he really does. He talks about it like it was a friend. And you don't leave him, he tells you when he's had enough. I knew this girl, Denise, she tried to get away. She disappeared of the face of the earth. - He finds you."

She seemed genuinely terrified of this bloke, but he sounded just like a sick man to Angel. Then again, Angelus could have just sounded like a serial killer and a criminal mastermind to one who didn't know about vampires. Angel knew that it was his responsibility to help this girl, even if Buffy was helping him – it was like a miniature Scooby Gang, with a few roles reversed.

"Not anymore." Angel was the leader, the 'Buffy' ironically.

"What's Denise's last name? I'll see if I can find anything on the net." Dawn was Internet gal – Willow.

"It'll be fine, Tina. I'll stay here with you while Dawn does her thing, and Angel can check for other bits – I'll keep you safe just as long as you don't leave this apartment, and we can start packing up Angel's stuff like he was meant to be doing this weekend anyway." Buffy was organising and reassuring; a perfect combination of Giles and Xander.

* * *

Dawn and Angel left to go use an Internet conection (the main library nearby had a sewer opening in the car park below) while Buffy stayed with Tina and tried to keep her mind off things. By the time the others got back, Buffy and Tina had packed away most of Angel's smaller items, save for the weapons (they kept them out just in case).

"Did your friend Denise have a tattoo on her left shoulder?" Angel got right to the point, not willing to waste any time if he could help it – he wanted to get back to Sunnydale in time for Buffy's first day at college, and dawn had to be home at the end of the day for school tomorrow.

"She had a rose."

"That's the girl we saw then!" Dawn was liking the whole investigating thing. She didn't normally get to do anything, because she was too young and might get hurt.

"I think she was murdered. And there were others. He picks girls with no family, no one to care."

Tina made a funny noise, and Buffy wrapped her arms around her, glaring at her boyfriend – she was upset enough without reminding her that she had no one to care if she died, if she was killed.

Angel tried to make amends, but he didn't sound quite as re-assuring as he would have liked. But Tina didn't know she had two superheroes on her side!

"Look you don't have to be afraid. You're safe here."

"But what about later? I have an apartment – and no money to go back to my real home. What do I do then?"

"I know you weren't asking for money, but maybe that would be the best thing for you to do. I can give you enough money to get yourself home, and one of us can go with you to your apartment to get your things – you'll be safe, and then you can be at home, just like you said you wanted. It's a win, win situation for once!"

"Alright. But I don't want you to give me any money – there must be some way I can pay you back without actually paying…"

"We'll work that out later – right now, you and Buffy should go to your apartment and get your things."

"What about us?" Obviously Dawn had read all of the books and magazines last night.

"Don't you have homework or something?"

"Buffy!"

"Well, Angel knows, like **everything** – he'll help you, wont you, love?"

"Hmm? Yes?"

"See, I told you he'd help!"

"Help with what? I never said I'd do anything. Buffy!"

Dawn giggled, and went to get her books, as Buffy gave Angel a quick kiss and took off with Tina. Angel just groaned and went to clear some space on the kitchen table for Dawn to work at.


	7. He's Russell!

At Tina's apartment building, Tina started packing stuff from her bedroom as Buffy went through to the bathroom. Tina stopped for a second and spun around, aiming a gun at a man's head.

"Russell." Meanwhile, Buffy listened from the bathroom, wondering why her slayer senses were tingling. Russell started to speak; sounding concerned, but Buffy didn't trust him as far as Giles could throw him.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. And here you are right under my nose. Oh, I own the building, most of the block. Are you going to point that gun at me all day?"

'She doesn't need a gun when she's got me.' Thought Buffy.

"What did you do to Denise?"

"Nothing."

"I want the truth, Russell." Tina was standing her ground for once, and not about to give in after Angel and Dawn said she was dead.

"She wanted to go home, I bought her a ticket to Pensacola." Buffy had to give him credit for lying really well, but Angel would never lie to her – Angelus maybe, but not Angel.

"She's dead." Buffy was cheering silently.

"What do you mean? She called me yesterday. She said she's going back to school, she wanted me to pull some strings. Look, we both know that I live outside of the box, but I don't go around killing my friends! - If this about LA. If you need rent. You know I only want to help you. Just tell me what you want."

Buffy couldn't see what was going on, but she had a fair idea that the gun was now in Russell's hands, and Tina was about to break down. But she couldn't go in yet! If it was a vampire (he did own the entire block, so he could just walk in), she didn't want to ruin the element of surprise, and she wouldn't really like Tina to see her fight. But it was daylight, and Angel had said there was no sewer access – how could he have got there? Buffy decided that her slayer sense was just going off because he was a creep giving her the wiggins. Major wiggins.

"I want to go home." Tina started to cry, and Buffy would bet her sister that Russell was about to comfort her, playing nice.

"Done. Poor thing. Who's been spinning your head like this?"

"I don't know. I thought you hired him to start with. He said he wanted to help me, but I don't know anymore."

"And now you never will." Buffy heard Tina gasp, and decided that now was probably a good time to make herself known. She went back into the other room, to see Russell with a vampire game face on and Tina cowering in the corner of the room.

"I just knew there was something off about you – I thought it was the smell."

"Go now, girl, and I'll forget you were even here."

"Well, I'm offended! Normally, vampires want to kill me, not let me go. How about this one: you let Tina go, and your death wont be too painful? I sorta like that deal more than yours."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, girl."

"No – you don't know what you're getting yourself into, Russell. If that is your real name." Buffy stopped for a second a laughed. "I've always wanted to say that. Do you think I said it alright?"

"Last chance, girl."

"I have a name you know."

"I don't care."

"You should. In fact, I'm disappointed that you don't know who I am – every vampire and most demons in Sunnydale know me. And I have a bit of a rep here in LA too – burnt down the gym at Hemery High to kill a hundred vamps. Got me kicked out, but hey! I won!"

Without warning, Russell leapt at her, fully intending to drain her. Buffy grabbed the stake she kept in the pocket of the coat, and without even realising what was happening, he was dust.

"And I never got to tell him my name. Buffy Summers – The Vampire Slayer."

"What, what was he? What just happened?" Buffy had forgotten Tina in all the confusion.

"Come on – finish packing up your stuff, and I'll explain everything once we're back at the apartment. It's a bit complicated, but all you need to know now is that he wont bother you again."

"Did you … is he dead?"

"He's dead, but I didn't kill him – he was already dead."

"What? But …"

"I'll explain later."

* * *

"You're all joking- right? You don't seriously believe in all this rubbish do you?"

"You saw his face, you saw him turn to dust. Vampires are real, demons are real. I kill them … mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?"

"Well. Okay, don't freak out. Angel is a vampire too, and Doyle over there is a half demon, but they're good guys."

Tina started to back away. "

"You-you're a vampire?" Angel just nodded, and prayed that she wouldn't run off.

"Don't worry, he's good – he's saved the world a few times, and Buffy's life lots of times." It seemed that the voice of a child was enough to convince Tina, and she stopped backing away, instead choosing to sit on the floor.

"I need to think about all of this."

"That's fine."

Everyone moved off to give her some space, Angel to his weapons (they were the only things left to pack, bar furniture) and Buffy and Dawn into the kitchenette.

"You get all of your homework done, Dawnie?"

"Who cares about homework when I just helped save someone's life!"

"Dawn!"

"Yes, Buffy. I got all of it done – Angel helped with history and English. I had to do maths by myself, and mum helped me with science on Friday."

"Nothing else then?"

"No! God – I'm only in middle school. We don't get as much homework as you're used to getting – and it's only the beginning of school anyway. We never get set that much to start with, or at the end."

"Just you wait till high school!"

"I know, I know – I'll be slaving away at work, and then I'll understand why you got such bad marks because you had to be saving the world plus school, not to mention a social life. You've told me about a million times!"

"And yet, I never get tired of saying it!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Angel walked over to Buffy (Dawn had retreated to the bedroom) dragging Doyle with him.

"He says this vision is done, but he got another one – it's Cordy."

"What's Cor doing in LA?"

"Trying to get an acting career up and going – I saw her at the party last night."

"Okay, what about her, Doyle?"

"I only got her name and a place – a bar. I think there are going to be a few vampires hitting it or something. She needs help whoever she is – I didn't see her."

"Any idea on timing?"

"Midnight … ish."

"Okay, I'll take you and Dawn home, Buffy, and then come back to help her."

"I'm sticking with you, lover. We still need to talk about what we're gonna do with ourselves. And anyway, you don't know how many vamps we're talking about here – it could be more than you can handle. We'll go back and drop Dawn with mum, and then come back."

"Fine. Doyle, Tina? Coming for the ride?"

"I'll stay here if that's alright."

"Me too."

* * *

_The next day_

"We still need to decide what to do. I think it's pretty plain that you're needed here, and I'm needed there. What do we do, Angel? And what about Tina and Cordy?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure we can work something out."

"He's right, love."

"Who asked you? You're the one who got us into this whole mess in the first place!"

Someone screamed from upstairs, and all three of them glance at one another before jumping up and running to the saris. They burst into the office upstairs, Angel carefully avoiding the sun streaming in through the windows to see Cordelia and Tina both with dusters in their hands and standing on chairs."

"Aaaaah! Look over there! A cockroach! In the corner. I think it's a bantam weight! Okay, first thing. We need to call an exterminator and a sign painter. We should have a name on the door!"

"Okay. I'm confused."

"Not the only one, baby."

"Doyle filled us in on your little mission. So I was just saying, if we're going to help people, maybe a small charge. You know, something to help pay the rent, and our salaries. You need somebody to organize things, and you're not exactly rolling in it Mr. I-was-alive-for-200-years-and-never-developed-an-investment-portfolio."

"And I can earn the money to pay for a ticket home and live with Cordy at the same time. I'm keeping my old job, and I can work on stuff here when I'm not there … just organising stuff – not fighting."

"You want to charge people?"

"Well, not everybody. But sooner or later we are going to have to help some rich people, right? Right?"

"Possibly, yeah."

"This is great! That means you actually have a business, which means you have off hours when you can be in Sunnydale, and I can come see you when I have a non class day if there aren't any pending apocalypses."

"Hand me that box. So I think that we should charge based on a case-by-case analysis, but with me working for a flat fee. I mean, um that is, - if you think that you can use me?"

After a moment Angel handed her the box with a smile and nodded to Tina. This way he could help her and he would have someone to keep Cordy busy; they seemed to be fast friends.

"Of course this is just temporary - until my inevitable stardom takes affect."

"And I go home."

All three girls walked off, talking and laughing together and helping to get things situated in the office.

"This will be good. You've made the right choice there, and Cordelia will keep you and Tina both grounded … she seems like that sort of person." He trailed off, but had a small smile on his face.

"You think she's a Hottie."

"Yeah, she's a stiffener alright, I can't lie about that. But, you know, she could use a hand."

"True."

"You know there's a lot of people in this city that need helping."

"Hmm. So I noticed."

"You game?"

"I'm game."


	8. Of Love and Souls

When I was reading the transcripts again, I noticed that the first episodes were happening at the same time, but meh. Artistic licence and all that jazz. This chapter is mostly angsty fluff. Fluffy thoughts and then angst 'cause they cant act … love hurts, but it must be done so that this story doesn't become one big cliché!

Just to quickly clear something up: Angel's soul is not bound, as far as they know, and I haven't decided yet if it is or isn't. I have possible plot lines for both, neither of which have sad endings by the way. I'm not about to write this fluffyness and then ruin it – my name isn't Joss!! Lol.

I need to start working harder at school, so you'll have to bear with me fore chapters. I know you've waited a month for this already, but updates are not going to be nearly as fast as in Not Just An Annoying Little Sister.

* * *

"You know, one thing about living in two places is that I need so much more furniture than most people."

"Or vampires."

"Well, yeah, that too." The couple stopped for a brief kiss, and then resumed their walk through Sunnydale's many cemeteries. "But the thing about most vampires; they don't normally pay for their one set of furniture, or blood. Or anything."

"You mean … you're not a normal vampire! But, but Angel! I thought you wanted to give me a normal life." Her voice was so not sarcastic, that he had to check that she was actually wearing a smile. Once he was satisfied, he bent down to kiss her again, wishing that he could do more.

* * *

He had made this wish so many times in the last year, but nothing had come of it. Even if it had, how would they know about it without trying to see if the curse was still active – that would not go down well. He could imagine Buffy trying to explain herself to Giles:

"We just wanted to see if the curse was still there!"

Wearing that cute little innocent smile that she had. It was saved just for Giles when she thought she was in trouble with her watcher and father figure. He imagined it was around a lot more during the day, when he wasn't. I t was a shame – he loved that smile.

He loved all of her smiles; not least the one that he instinctively knew was his, and his alone. Even if he hadn't come back, and she had found another person to be with (and that thought hurt him so much), he knew she would never smile like that at him. That smile was for Angel, and only Angel.

It was the way her eyes crinkled ever so slightly, and her eyes portrayed love, lust and hurt all at the same time; hurt because she couldn't act on that lust brought out of love. It was the way that she could make him forget all of the terrible things that he had ever done, just with one single smile, all those things that she knew he was capable, because he had done them to her. It was the way he could hear her soul singing to his, and the way that he made his sing back. It was the way he just knew exactly what she wanted from him, even if he couldn't act on it.

It was Buffy.

* * *

"Angel? You in there, love?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes – I'm here. Was just thinking s'all."

"What about?"

"You."

Buffy made a small happy noise, and leaning back up for another kiss.

* * *

_… sometime later …

* * *

_

"I should get back to patrolling."

"We weren't patrolling to start with, so you cant get back to it."

"You're right. I should just stay here, and kiss you some more."

"No, we should do some work."

"But it's a school night! I need to relax – tomorrow's my first day."

"Which is why I'm here and not in LA."

"Oh."

* * *

Later that evening, Buffy said goodnight to Angel outside her window, before crawling into her bed wearing one of his shirts and wishing that they could be doing something else together, just as a normal girl would be.

It just wasn't fair. Every time she kissed him, she wanted more. Every time he kissed her, she needed more. In high school (it felt so long ago) everything was so much simpler. First, he was the mysterious hottie, then an evil vampire, then her boyfriend, then more but not Angel, then hell, then they wouldn't and couldn't be together, then they did, then he left and came back. Here they were, together, but not allowed to do more; there was no category for that. He was her boyfriend but not her lover. She was his girl, but she couldn't show him that.

She was always scared that they would go too far … again. On her birthday, she hadn't meant it to go that far, but she soon stopped thinking (which was what she wanted) and apparently, so did he. She couldn't risk it happening again. Couldn't let herself fall deep enough to forget reason and logic. Not again, not ever. Well, not until his soul was bound.

She didn't even know if that was possible. Vampires were not meant to retain their human souls; Angel was the only one, and his soul wasn't really his. To the outside world, maybe, but Buffy knew the truth. That soul wasn't truly his unless she was far out of the picture, and they had tried that before – it didn't work. The soul would be his, someday. She didn't know how she knew, she just did.

Angel would have his soul.


	9. First Day Blues

Buffy was standing in the middle of a court with students milling all around her, looking around with a very bemused look on her face.

"FRESHMEN! WE'RE DOING THIS BY FOLDER COLOUR! IF YOU'RE NOT HOLDING ON TO A YELLOW FOLDER, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG GROUP. YOU BELONG UP BY WIESMAN HALL."

The random student pointed in a seemingly indiscriminate manor, and Buffy began to leaf through her many folders. She had a blue one, a green one and countless others, but no yellow folder. Whichever direction that point had meant to be in was obviously for her. Buffy just wished that she had patrolled near the college, even once, and started to walk towards where she hoped the people without yellow folders were standing.

She was completely confused, and still seemed to have a mile-long list of things still to do. Students shoved fliers and words right into her face as she walked, but none gave her any useful information. Who did she need to beat up around here to get the information! She guessed that Willy probably wouldn't be all that much help.

She needed Willow, or Giles, or Angel (you know, if it wasn't daylight and everything). They would know what to do! This was Willow's atmosphere – with the whole being organised thing, and really up with the whole student life thing. Giles was Giles! He always knew exactly what was going on and how she should deal with it. Angel wouldn't have any more of a clue than her, but at least then she wouldn't be alone, and feel quite so stupid. She needed Willow!

"Buffy, Hey!"

"Oh, boy am I glad to see you." Willow could never know how much.

_normal episode convo until_

"Well, I'm..." She broke off and gasped. "Ooh, boyfriend! My on-campus boyfriend."

"Mine's still sleeping, most likely. I'm seeing him later … if I ever get to where I'm going, and get everything done. Otherwise, he'll most likely come find me here, wondering what I'm doing that took till sundown!"

"Everything will be fine, Buffy. You'll see.

"Oz! How are you?"

_everything the same until the book shop_

"You know, this store discriminates against short people."

"Oh, I think there's a protest next week." She just had to be joking about that. Please!

Buffy reached up and accidentally knocked the books off of the shelf.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

The student stood up, gently massaging his head.

"I'm okay. It's okay. Well, that was bracing."

"I'm so... the books were just too high, and then everything was bad."

She bent down to pick up the books, and the guy she had hit began to help her.

"Let's put a few of these down here. So, uh, are you girls taking Intro Psych, or do you just want me dead?"

"Psych; I normally try not to kill a guy until I know what he did wrong!"

"Er. Okay. Well, you'll have a lot of fun. Professor Walsh--she's quite a character."

"You've taken it?"

"I'm a TA, I'll be helping the Professor out. I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners in all the concussion... I'm Riley."

"Willow, and this is my friend Buffy."

"It's nice to meet you both."

"Hi."

"Hey, do you know if we're going to be studying 'Operant Conditioning' in the first semester? 'Cause I hear that's kinda Professor Walsh's specialty."

"Absolutely. Do you know her treatise on Dietrichs work?"

"I know of it."

"It's not in the syllabus, but it's a fascinating read... if you're in to that sort of thing. They have it here."

"Oh, where?"

"I'll show you. I don't meet that many freshmen that know that much about psychology."

"Well, it's fascinating."

Riley (if that is his real name. I prefer fish face.) led Willow towards the offending book, and Buffy trailed behind, just wishing she could be with Angel, and forget all about nasty U.C.Sunnydale.

* * *

I know, another short one, but I would really like to go to sleep now, and I will get there eventually! Promise! 


	10. Second Verse Same as the First

I watched IWRY again today. It doesn't matter how many times you watch it, it's still very, very sad … Why did he do it to us? Was it to keep us hoping that they would end up together, or just to get ratings up!

* * *

Later, once everything else had been covered, Buffy worked her way through milling students, both male and female in her dorm corridor. Once she found her room, she said a quick prayer that her roommate wouldn't be too bad and entered, to see a nice enough room with two beds and two desks, the person she assumed to be her roomie unpacking a suitcase laying on one of the beds.

"Hi."

* * *

"Are you unpacked already? Wow! That was fast – I'm still only about half way done, and I was here for an hour before you."

"I'm going to see my boyfriend. I haven't got a chance to call him yet today, so he'll be worried I expect, it being nearly dark, and me saying that I would be at his place three hours ago unless I ran into trouble. He might even be pacing!" She wasn't sure why she was telling this complete stranger all of this, but somehow, it felt good to speak to another girl who knew nothing about her, or boyfriend.

"He not in college then?"

"No. He's a bit too old for college, and works in LA … so … you know."

"Tough gig. How much older is he then? There are loads of older students here, so he wouldn't be like the oldest one or anything. Sorry, it's none of my business."

Buffy thought for a moment, and then remembered a conversation she had with Angel before, at the beginning of the summer. Should she say 21 or 26? If she and Kathy became better friends, but not enough to know about vampirism, she should stick to the story of 21. But she had already said he was too old for college. What to say, what to say …

"Well, when I say he's too old, I mean that he thought he was too old. I mean he's only 21, but he said he didn't always want to be surrounded by 18 year olds who are most likely smarter than him. I couldn't sway him, so now we do the long distance thing. Ever since last week, that is. Before that, he lived here.

"Sorry, but I really do have to go now. If I'm not back in the morning, don't panic, 'cause if it gets too late, I don't really want to walk back here – I'll just crash at his place."

"See you later then. And don't forget to finish unpacking."

* * *

Buffy crept through the door at about two in the morning, having spent time at the mansion before a quick patrol and a long make-out session. It was getting harder to say goodbye each night, and she just hoped that it wouldn't be too bad when he went back to LA without her. So far, she had spent the three days they were in a long distance relationship with him, just getting the business started up, and then coming back to Sunnydale just to patrol and sleep. It was a good arrangement, except for the fact that they each wanted to do more than they could.

At least Buffy didn't have to worry about sneaking in through her window anymore – if Buffy didn't know just how lightly the dead sleep, she would say that Kathy definitely slept like the dead. It was a good job that slayers could go for about five days without sleep if necessary, and needed only four hours on a normal night. Even with the snoring, she should end up reasonably well rested, and if this was a regular thing, she could sleep at Angel's twice or three times a week. Only when he wasn't there though. Just in case.

* * *

_The next day is the same. Imagine Buffy thinking: 'I want Angel.' every now and again…

* * *

_

It was about an hour after sunset, and Angel had just gone back to LA. Buffy was wandering around the campus trying to find her way around after an exhausting first day. She had told Angel everything, curled up in his arms and let it all fade away into nothingness. None of it mattered when he was kissing her. She heard a noise and looked behind her, missing the student that just appeared from an adjoining path.

* * *

_Everything else the same with an added Angel phone call (or fifty) until…

* * *

_

"Mum? You here?"

"Buffy!"

"Hi."

"Honey, how are you?"

"I'm ok."

"How's college? You've been fighting."

"Oh, uh, they started it."

"Just as long as you're being careful. I-I really didn't think you'd show up here for a while."

"Oh, I didn't have classes today, and everything's just been so hectic I figured it'd be nice to come and crash for a while. Angel only went back to LA yesterday, so I figured I would give it some time before I went up there. I thought I'd hang with you for a bit, and wait for Dawn to get home from school; I miss having her highness around the whole time." They headed into the living room and sat down on the sofa together.

"Well, there's not really much to tell. The gallery just got some new things in, and I-I thought it might be okay if I used your room as storage space for a week or so. I didn't think you would want to be around here so soon into college, and there's no where else to put it all."

"Basement?"

"Already full."

"You've done it already, haven't you."

"Sorry, sweetheart. If it makes you feel better, Dawn said 'No'." Buffy laughed, slightly upset, but she knew that in reality, and she wouldn't have been using her room anyway, so it didn't really matter. Sure, she had been planning on going to sleep at home on Monday night (she wouldn't be going out that night, and had no morning classes on Tuesday) to get some real sleep. She would have to just go to the mansion instead, but that was no hardship.

"No, you're right – I don't really need to use it at the moment. So gallery life is booming?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, that means I have to go away again for three nights."

"When? And what about Dawn?"

"I leave on Friday morning next week. I had hoped that she could stay with you in the dorm, unless your father is back from his trip and didn't tell me?"

"He normally tells you?"

"Just in case something happens to his kids."

"He said he'd be away until November at least. I forget where he went. Dawn could go to Angel's – the dorm probably isn't the best place for her to be."

"And being with _him_ is any better?" Joyce immediately regretted her choice of words. She had tried to be nice to _him_ for her daughter's sake, but she didn't like him, and never would. He had hurt her baby girl, and was no good for her. He was a vampire; an evil creature of the night, and Buffy was too blinded by love to see that.

"Tell Dawn I stopped by. Good-bye, Mum. I'll speak to you next week about that trip."

She walked out of the house, still cradling her hurt arm.


	11. WHAT!

After the gang had sorted out Sunday and her band of merry men and put everything back into Buffy and Kathy's room, Buffy took Xander aside.

"Xand, while you were away, some thi –"

"Buffy! Thank god you're alright!" A new voice entered the room, and its owner's legs carried him towards the slayer at a speed which one would have thought impossible.

"Angel? What are –" Once again, Buffy was cut off by her boyfriend; this time with a kiss. Confused, she broke it, and looked into his eyes.

"What's wrong, Angel? You only just went back to LA."

"Willow called me. She said that they had found a note left by you saying that you had left college, and she assumed that you were already in LA with me. I waited until sunset, and then came here. I was so worried about you – you told me you were sticking it out no matter how hard it got, and then you suddenly up and left. I thought … it thought maybe …"

"It doesn't matter, honey. I'm fine, and it was all just a trick that some vampire played on me."

"Where are they?" Angel's face turned game for a moment, and he growled. She may be the slayer, but no vampire touched her or her things without having a few words with him, all of which ended in dust. Buffy stroked his game face lightly, lovingly. She never cared what he looked like. It never mattered to her.

"They're dust, love. Don't worry about me. If you came running back here every time I was in trouble, LA would never have its guardian Angel."

"It managed without me before."

"You have a mission now."

Throughout the entire exchange, Xander had been looking from slayer to vampire as if watching a tennis match. Finally, he had had enough.

"Would someone please like to tell me what is going on! Last time I checked, _you_ weren't in Sunnydale, _you_ didn't know where he went, and _you_ weren't together. I may have been gone for a while, but come on! This is ridicules."

"Xander! You're back. How was you're trip? Buffy said you went to drive to all the states. You do know about Hawaii, right?"

"Yes, bad and yes. Not nessecarily in that order. Now, what is going on?"

"That's what I was going to tell you before Angel came in. We're back together, as from a week after graduation. Dawn made him see sense, and until last week, things were relatively normal. You know, for a slayer and her cradle-robbing-creature-of-the-night boyfriend. Then, stuff came up in LA (I'll explain in more detail later) and Angel has a mission there, the same as I have one here. So we're doing the long distance thing."

"You know, running up the phone bills between my place and Buffy's room. We've only been at this for a few days, but the plan is to visit at least once a week on both our parts, and to spent any money I make at work on phones." Buffy blushed.

"Sorry." Angel just smiled at her, laughed, and kissed her forehead. Xander just looked as if his head was about to explode.

"I … um. What?"

"Please don't hate Angel anymore, Xander. We're not going to unleash the big bad – we know what could happen if we … get that far – and I'm happy. Isn't that what you want? Even Giles is fine with it. Granted, my mother isn't, but she hates Angel even more than you do, if that's possible."

"Okay. For now, Deadboy, you have the BOD."

"BOD?"

"Benefit of the doubt, love." Angel made a non-committal 'oh' sound, and kissed Buffy's crown again.

"Thank you Xander." The vampire just nodded at the boy, hoping that he would grow up in the near future. Which 'he' is up to your own interpretation.

"So! When do I get to meet your roommate, as I'm here."

"Sure. She wanted to meet you too. Her name's Kathy, and she should be coming back … now." Silently, Buffy wondered if she would ever get to finish her talks without being interrupted …

"Hi, I'm Kathy. Buffy, who's this guy? I know that one."

"We had a hugging session. Later." Xander fended off Buffy's inquisitive glance. No one noticed the way Angel was looking at Kathy.

"Angel. My boyfriend."

"I thought you lived in LA?"

"I do." He paused. "You don't have a soul."

"WHAT?"

"WHAT?"


	12. The Smelling of Souls

Okay, I've had real difficulties with this chapter; so don't blame me when it is completely rubbish. Well, as I'm the writer, I suppose you could blame me … and you should blame me … but it was hard work! Also, words are beginning to fail me, and nothing seems to come out the way it should, so please review and yell at me if it sounds rubbish – I don't have a beta and none of my friends or family like either Buffy or Angel, so basically, I'm screwed!

* * *

"You don't have a soul."

"WHAT?"

"WHAT?"

"Um." Kathy ran, heading for the open door, but was stopped by Angel's in-human speed. He caught hold of her, and she struggled for a time before going limp in his arms.

"How do you know she doesn't have a soul, dead-boy?"

"Something Darla once said to me: you can smell a soul once you know what your looking for. I can smell it one you two, but not her. Plus, she was just too damn cheerful to be a normal human kid …"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, love. Where should I put her?"

"On the bed. I should have some chains somewhere we could tie her up with, assuming she doesn't have super-strength and will be able to break them."

"Use the ones you used for me. You still have them, right?"

"I thought you two said you weren't going to get pelvic any time soon! You know what happened last time…"

"Xander!"

The boy in question just shrugged his shoulders and tried to look innocent.

"What?"

* * *

Okay, I know this is pathetic, but I am now stuck. I've been thinking about it for most of the day (when I wasn't knee deep in work) and have got no further!

HELP!


	13. Cordy and Doyle

Meanwhile, in LA:

* * *

It was the end of the second day at the new investigation site. Tina had spent the last three nights in Angel's apartment, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever (even if she did make him take the bed). For one thing, Dawn and Buffy might be visiting regularly. For another, they kept very different sleeping hours – Angel might have human friends, but he still didn't get up until mid afternoon. Having said that, if she slept on the sofa, she might be able to be quiet enough … no. She forgot about vampire's hearing.

He and Buffy had gone back to wherever it was that she lived – it was only an hour's drive away at the most – for Buffy's start of school. He would probably be back in three or four days, quicker if there was an emergency. She stopped thinking as her mind registered someone calling her name.

"Tina! Tina!"

"Hmm?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for ages. Where were you, fifty million miles away or something."

"Or something. What were you saying, Cordy? Sorry."

"You know I said you could stay with me? Well … I sorta have a problem in that area. You see, I don't have much money at the moment – just waiting for my inevitable stardom of course – so my place is a bit … well, its not the nicest place to be living. I do have a sofa you can sleep on, and we'll have to re-organise some stuff, but you should be able to go home in a few weeks anyway, so I'm sure we can sort something out."

"That's fine, Cordelia. Like you said, I'll only be here for three months max, so whatever."

"Three months is a long time, lass."

"Doyle! When did you get here?"

"Long enough ago, Princess."

"Well, make more noise when you walk into a room."

"Sorry, love."

"I'm not your love."

Tina just watched them banter back and forward. They sounded like a mix between her grandparents and younger sisters; she couldn't decide if they were just bickering, or if it was just severe tension of another kind. Then Cordy turned to go out of the office, and just before she followed, Tina saw the look on Doyle's face. It was definitely not sibling love – this was an old married couple arguing over who used the last of the kitchen roll.

She had to get them together before Angel got back!

* * *

Does anyone want to be my bouncing ideas off person? Plot lines would be occasionally ruined, but I'm sure you all know what the rough idea is anyway! In fact, why are you even bothering to read? It's just a re-write … and a bad one at that. 


	14. Angelus

In LA (still while Angel is in Sunnydale the first time)

* * *

Cordelia and Tina walked into the small apartment that they were now sharing. It was clean to the casual observer, but a closer inspection would reveal dust everywhere that wasn't immediately seen, insects crawling through gaps in the window frame, and brown water. The water had stopped that morning. 

"Cordy, not to be ungrateful or anything, but I had a better apartment than this on minimum wage. Sure, Russell helped out a bit (for his own benefit, yes, but still!), but it was mostly me paying. You're going to get paid more than that from this investigation agency, so you could get a much better place!"

"I know I will be able to eventually, but at the moment … well, lets just say that unlike Daddy, I will never 'forget' to do my taxes. Way too much hassle."

"Cordy!"

"Well, I did look at other places, but there just isn't anywhere that isn't in a terrible neighbourhood! I might be used to fighting demons and vampires – you don't have to look so nervous every time someone mentions a vampire, you know. I mean you work for a vampire now! Sure the only good vamp in existence, and that could go right out the window if he and hurricane Buffy keep playing with fate like they are, but –"

"What?"

"You don't know?

"If Angel gets too happy (perfect happiness) then he loses his soul, and turns into evil Angel, angelus. It happened during my junior year at Sunnydale – not a good thing, believe me. It ended up with Buffy having to kill him, and running away. It was all very tragic. As long as they don't … you know … then he wont lose his soul, and our lives (or more importantly our jobs) are safe. Angel might be a lovable teddy-bear-vamp, but Angelus was known as the scourge of Europe, a reputation not easily granted."

Tina just stood in the middle of Cordelia (and hers now)'s apartment, in stunned silence. She couldn't believe that Angel – sweet Angel who had taken her in – could be bad in any way, let alone like Russell.

"You mean he would be like Russell was then?"

"Well, sort of. From what I've heard of your Russell problem, he would be the last thing on your mind if Angelus got lose – he's much, much worse."

Worse than the man … thing that had tried to kill her? Well, at least Russell hadn't tried to rape her or anything. He was _only_ going to kill her. Only indeed!

"Okay, so you can sleep on the sofa. I know it isn't much, but we can get you something better in the morning. I don't know about you, but I'm knackered and just want to sleep for a week. Moving boxes and files around sure does take a lot of energy out of you."

"Yeah." Inside though, Tina couldn't believe that Cordy could sleep at night knowing everything she knew. Or that the other girl was tired after only just over half a day's work. Well, she supposed that Cordy had never done a full days work before in her life. Tina on the other hand, now had two jobs. She had done 14 hours work today, and that would be the norm until she had enough money to get herself home, or pay Angel for petrol money.

Well, even if she couldn't sleep, she could at least relax, so Tina got to work making up a bed on the sofa, while Cordy went to see if she had any food in the fridge.

* * *

Yes I know it's gas in America, but you guys already know I'm English, so I'm not going to troll through all of my work just to change the odd few words. Also, why do you call it gas? Petrol is short for petroleum … wait, gas – gasoline. I get it!

* * *

Another short one, and I'm still not sure how to carry on the Sunnydale plot line … 


	15. Home, Hotel, Hotel, Husband

The Next Day In LA (still while Angel is in Sunnydale the first time)

* * *

"Doyle?" 

"Delia? What are you doing phoning me so early?"

"Umm… we need some manly help over at my place?"

"What kind of help?" Doyle was suspicious even this early on a morning when he had nothing to do and had been drinking the night before – but the, when was that not true!

"The kind where I call you and you come help!"

"I'll be there in a few, Princess."

* * *

Tina looked around her in amazement. How did that many bugs and other stuff get in, in just one night? How was it possible? Something demony had to be responsible. She might not have been an expert, but some things you just knew. She knew it wasn't possible, therefore, by logic, something weird was responsible. It made complete sense. 

Sometimes Tina wondered about the strange turns her life had made since arriving in LA. Meeting Russell and finding work (even if it was just waitressing) seemed relively normal until she met Angel, Buffy, Cordelia and Doyle. Not to mention Buffy's little sister, who was only twelve and yet knew so much more about the world than her.

Tina was two years older than Buffy and Cordy, and yet Buffy was so much more grown up – like she had some huge responsibility or something. Tina knew she had, like super-powers or something, but she couldn't be the only one! With enough vampires as the others said there were, not to mention other demons that Angel said were pretty normal (he said something about zombies too, but then she just zoned out) and commonplace. It wasn't like Buffy would be the only person with that responsibility – she probably only recently found out too. Maybe on her eighteenth birthday or something? It still seemed pretty young to Tina though. She was twenty and had trouble adjusting; imagine what it must be like for a teenager!

* * *

She was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Cordy's frantic cries that she wasn't opening the door until she knew who it was. She had just invited Doyle over – who else would it be! 

"You actually live here?"

"Yes, - okay? Is it my fault that maid service was interrupted? It was supposed to go, home, hotel, hotel, husband. Now can we move on?"

Behind Cordy, Tina sniggered at the look on Doyle's face. She really had to work on getting them together.

* * *

Oh my god I am so tired. It's just gone midnight, and even though I don't have school tomorrow, I should probably go to sleep. I will write some more in the morning – I've finished all of my weekend homework! Of course, I still have an essay and maths that I have been advised to do, but that can wait till Sunday or Monday morning. Tomorrow is my designated chilling day. However, most of my friends are busy, so it will just be me and the computer hanging out…

And my internet has only just been fixed, so everything that came before this sentance was actually written last friday (it's tuesday now). anyway, i now know how i am endding this story, and the whole thing will become a series that follows (mostly) the plot lines, but each story doesnt nessecarily have to end when the season does. this one will end just after the angel episode 'eternity'. but i'm not quite sure how to get from here to there - i will most likely just missout most episodes, and only do the bits that have changed drasticly.


	16. Return of the Angel

"I may not be super-man, Princess, but I don't think even he could do anything about all of your 'little' problems here! Why don't you just stay at Angel's until he comes back, and then we'll see what we can do?"

"Fine, Doyle. Sorry about all this, Tina! The management was meant to be sorting out some sort of pest control, but apparently it wasn't meant to be."

"We could go apartment hunting if you wanted? I did a fair bit before Russell got to me – there has to be some places that aren't controlled by evil vamps."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Come on, girls. Pack up your things – we're going to Angel's." God knows his place wasn't decent enough to put them up. When the vampire in question got back from his trip they could talk about it. Until then, it didn't really matter all that much.

* * *

On Thursday night (two or three days later, and no, they hadn't actually house hunted – all of the time was spent sorting out the new business and getting rid of Cordy's apartment), Angel trudged through the open door of the newly named 'Angel Investigations'. It was only two hours after sundown, but he had decided to leave early just in case he and Buffy fell asleep after patrol. They had a tendency not to wake up again until past dawn, and then he would never leave. Not that that was a bad thing as such, but he did have a destiny after all.

He walked over to the music player that Buffy insisted he got, and put some decnt music on – Beethoven, none of the rock and pop stuff you heard all over the place nowadays. 'I am so old.' He thought as he entered the bathroom. The mansion may be great and all, but it was hard work to get a decent amount of hot water through the pipes, especially as it was supposed to be abandoned.

* * *

Hot water was heaven. _AN mmmm ... wet Angel ... mmmm_

Five minutes into his bliss, he was interrupted, as footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs to his apartment. It could only be one or two people, not that many would be coming to see him, and even fewer knew he was back in LA. This left him with three options: a) Buffy/Dawn really, _really_ needed him (unlikely), b) he was being robbed (since when do thieves make that much noise, or c) Doyle/Cordy/Tina was seeing if he were here (very likely, especially if Doyle had had another pesky vision).

The footsteps got louder, and gave way to voices, female, and two of them. 'Cordy and Tina. What are they doing here?' He went to open the door for them; it would be a surprise for them that he was actually there when they came to see if he was. As he went to the entrance, he began to notice things which he hadn't before – a few bits of women's clothing hanging on the back of a chair – he knew they weren't Buffy's – and the remains of a meal in the kitchen. In his absence, someone had been living in his apartment, and if it wasn't Cordy with an exceptionally good reason, he was not going to be a happy vampire.

Not that that was a bad thing. In fact, people should go out of their way to make him unhappy. Maybe if he was unhappy enough, he and Buffy could … no that would never work. The first time, they had been afraid for their lives. Well, he was afraid for Buffy's life, and she was afraid for both of them. And it had still been perfect in spite of (or perhaps because of) everything and everyone else around them.

* * *

I have got to stop writing fanfiction at 2 in the morning – I never get enough done before I want to fall asleep, and then I can't pick up again later. All my chapters are done in one sitting, otherwise, I lose the flow of it … night night D 


	17. Fight Like A Thing!

Angel stood silently in the shadows (it was sometimes quite a help that he didn't need to breathe. Shame Buffy had to…) and watched Cordelia enter his apartment with familiarity she didn't have three days ago. Behind her, Tina came in too, and then Doyle, muttering under his breath about stupid visions and headaches. The three of them pottered around for a while before Angel decided to let them know he was there, and bang on cue, Doyle suddenly stopped moaning and fell silent, signalling the girls to shut up too. The vampire in the shadows made a bit more noise, and Cordelia jumped.

"Alright, we know you're there!"

"Come out and fight like a thing."

"That's you're last warning."

Angel decided to put them out of their misery, and stepped out of his alcove with a grin on his face and a bounce in his step. He didn't know why he was so happy, but the look of shock on their faces might have had something to do with it.

"You're back!"

"No, Cordy, I'm a figment of your imagination."

"You guys can see him, right?" Doyle groaned and Tina tried (and failed) to hide a smirk at Cordelia's confusion, but they both nodded.

"You aren't evil, are you? Because that would be a really big dampener on you being home and all …"

* * *

Angel sighed. Would she ever get over angelus? Sure, she had a right to be scared, and he felt terrible about it, but that was the point – he felt bad enough about his demon without Queen C making it worse! Anyway, it wasn't like angelus ever did anything to her – it was willow's fish that died, Giles' girlfriend, and Buffy who he tormented. The two people that complained the most never felt the brunt of angelus' attacks; it was only Xander and Cordelia who truly seemed afraid it would happen again. The others knew that he wouldn't let it.

It was torturous to be able to be with Buffy, but not with her. Agony to be able to kiss her, and to have to stop himself from doing more. Torment to have those thoughts (which he knew he probably shouldn't have) and not be able to act on them – even a little bit. It was a pain worse than Hell, a feeling stronger than love; it was just Buffy – just loving Buffy. He had been right when he told spike about the slayer;

"To kill this slayer, you have to love her."

What he didn't realise, was that to kill him, she only had to love him back. Not just the fact that she loved his soul right out of him, or that she killed him literally, but killing his already dead heart. He sighed, and turned his thoughts back to Cordelia and her untrusting ways.

* * *

"No, Cordy, I'm not evil again." She would never truly understand him.

* * *

Now I have to go to school. And I only got 4 hours sleep last night, so you'd better be thankful for this! 


	18. Favours

Cordelia had only been living in the same vicinity as him for two days – the night he got back, that day, last night and today – but if she stayed much longer, Angel was going to do something he knew he should regret. He wouldn't necessarily regret it, as he was sure it would be the right decision, but it still wouldn't be the best course of action. No, what he really needed to do was to get both her and Tina out of his apartment. They had to find a new apartment. And eventually, so did he.

* * *

He needed at least two bedrooms, maybe three or four so that Dawn could have her own room, and he would still have spare rooms for friends. He had that required room in the mansion in Sunnydale, but it really needed to be decorated nicely; the chains and ancient statues were all very well for him, but Buffy only like one statue, and Dawn none of it. He wasn't quite sure when their opinions became so important, but he knew they were.

He could probably sell the statues and some of the art – he owned the huge house, and all that was in it. It had been sold to him as angelus, but never really paid for; he ate the salesman just after he had been forced into signing that everything was paid for.

It was sometimes much better to be a vampire than a human. It's not like anyone would have missed that guy anyway – he had no family, and there was only a very small funeral service. He knew because he was there, standing in a crypt not far from the outside service. Angelus always stuck around to see the aftermath of his kills if he could. But only if they were even vaguely important – he wouldn't have paid the same attention to a streetwalker, for example.

Those statues and the art pieces that he had done of some images of Hell might even get him enough money to buy a decent place to live with enough bedrooms to satisfy the uses he had for them. Even if he did want to live in the middle of a city. Then again, LA was only an hour away from Sunnydale – he could commute. Ah – he would leave it for another few days … weeks …months. Who was he kidding? – he would never really find a new apartment.

* * *

He had to get Cordy out of his home. Wet towels on his leather chair, trophies and clothes all over the place, and he didn't even want to know what that stuff in the bathroom was for. Surely not even Cordelia needed that much moisturiser and make-up. Tina didn't seem that bad, but then, she didn't really know him very well at all, so was probably not confident in the fact that he would not eat her. But then, Cordy wasn't all that sure, judging by how often she asked if he was evil or not. She was just so damn annoying!

* * *

"Doyle. How would you like me to owe you?"

"Owe me what? Money, alcohol or a favour?

"Any of it, all of it – I really don't care."

"And what would I need to do in order to be granted this mysterious dept?"

"Not much … just find Cordy and Tina an apartment fast! Mostly Cordelia."

"Done."

* * *

It was only two days since he had left Sunnydale, but already there was need for him back home. 'Home?' Even he did live in LA, Sunnydale would be home for as long as Buffy lived there. Wherever Buffy was, that was where home is.

"Willow?"

"Angel! Thank the goddess you're around."

"Where else would I be, willow? It's in the middle of the day."

"Right, well it's about Buffy – she's not there is she?"

"Willow what's wrong? Why isn't Buffy with you?" Angel didn't worry very easily – Buffy could handle herself in a fight – but if willow didn't know where she was, and he didn't know where she was, and willow was actually calling him for help…it wasn't good.

"Well, we found a note on her bed that said she had given up and dropped out of school. She isn't anywhere around, a-and I'm worried about her." Willow's voice was almost a whisper, but Angel heard it anyway. He could even hear her heartbeat get faster as she became more and more frantic about the whereabouts of her best friend.

"I'll be there an hour after sunset."


	19. Communication

"So, Kathy, who or what are you really?"

"What are you doing in Sunnydale?"

"What are you doing in college?"

"And why on earth are you sharing a room with the slayer?"

"And why haven't you tried to kill me yet – I know I wasn't around much, but still."

The questions kept coming at the supposed college student one after another. The Scooby gang was gathered in Giles' house, and all of them wanted answers. Oz and Angel, as usual, were silently contemplating god-knows-what, with their respective arms around their respective girlfriends.

* * *

It took a while, but the original Scooby gang (minus Cordelia) finally got all the information they wanted out of the demon girl. It turned out that she wasn't there to hurt anyone, except the person she ended up rooming with, and she didn't even know that Buffy was the slayer until the gang told her. She was basically just running away from home, and was only going to consider stealing a soul if her family caught on to her – otherwise she was harmless. 

Not really knowing what to do with student impostor, the gang tied her up again at Giles' house, knocked her unconscious and decided to decide what to do later. it was a system that could backfire on them if she got lose, but at least they didn't have to think anything more about it at two O'clock on a Sunday evening/Monday morning.

Soon enough, everything was taken care of, and Buffy was suddenly very glad that her courses had worked out so that she didn't have to be up until ten on Monday mornings. The scoobies parted ways, as Willow went back to Oz' shared house, Xander went back to his basement, Giles stayed at home, and Buffy and Angel walked hand in hand down the dark roads. For any other couple, Sunnydale streets at night were dangerous places to be, but for them, it would be strange if they weren't prowling in the night.

* * *

Buffy licked her lips, nervously, and hoped that Angel didn't have to go away again so soon – the last couple of days without him just made her panic that he was leaving again. Just as her mother didn't forget about her running away, Buffy wasn't likely to forget Angel's leaving her any time soon. 

"Stay with me tonight?"

"Of course." He kissed her, once, twice, a few more times, and all of her doubts were pushed right out of her head – until tomorrow night, when he would have to leave all over again.

* * *

Later, when they were curled up together in Buffy's bed (fully clothed, don't worry guys!), she took the opportunity to speak to her boyfriend about Friday, Dawn, and her mother. She didn't quite know how to start, so she settled on doing just that, and start. The last time they hadn't talked to each other, Angel left to LA. The times before that hadn't been quite as bad, but they still taught Buffy that they needed to be open with each other if they were ever going to work. Sure they loved each other, but that isn't always enough. Sure, they had fought life and death together, it wouldn't hold them together. Communication wasn't always good with Buffy and Angel, and it had taken an aspect of a demon to make her realise it. By then, it was nearly too late for them. Sure, they might still be in love, but they wouldn't have kept by each other.

* * *

You know how I said I would stop writing at night? I lied. 

Sorry about the long wait, but my home internet went kaput and the school computers dont like very much - tis a shame, but such is life. Anyway, i'm now going to stay with my grandparents for the weekend and have massive amounts of homework, revision and coursework to do, so i am making no promises about the next update. Sorry, but at least five hours of maths work kills any idea of writing...


	20. Reasons, Mothers and Demons

"So, my mum's going away on Friday, and I need to look after her, but I was going to come up to see you for three days."

"Just bring dawn with you, babe. She wont get in the way, and I think she's actually made a few friends in LA over the summer."

"Oh, my mum makes me so angry sometimes! She's always going away for business, and I know she has to, or she won't get paid, but still – it's a great big suck-fest. Only not literally, because she doesn't want to know about vampires at all, and is still hoping that I can put this whole 'slayer thing' as she calls it, behind me. She just doesn't get that it's a part of who I am … just like you are."

"She's your mother – she's allowed to worry. You wouldn't like it if she didn't care, would you?"

"No." Buffy pouted at him – he always knew just what to say to make her feel like a little girl again, thoroughly chastised. He rose to the bait, and kissed her gently on her pouting lips. Angel never could resist that pout, so naturally, she used it on him all she could. It never made him give in, but if you were getting kissed by an Angel every time you pouted … well lets just say she spent a great deal of time pouting.

"But she doesn't like you, either. She doesn't think I'm safe when I'm with you – I'm only ever safe when I'm with you, Angel! She just doesn't get it."

"Well, babe, I don't like her all that much myself, and she does have good reason to think you aren't safe around me. I spent months stalking you, remember?"

"That wasn't you, Angel! You know that – we've talking about the difference between you two so much that I lost count after the first few hundred. You aren't him, and you never will be."

"Buffy –"

"No! Repeat after me: I am not angelus – the evil soulless bastard –, I am Angel – the nicest cradle-robbing-creature-of-the-night-boyfriend there ever was and ever will be, except when I get too noble and decide that I don't deserve to be loved. Got it?"

"I am not angelus – the evil soulless bastard –, I am Angel – the nicest cradle-robbing-creature-of-the-night-boyfriend there ever was and ever will be, except when I get too noble and decide that I don't deserve to be loved. But Buffy, that change the fact that I – angelus – stalked you and your mother doesn't feel the same way you do about me!"

"I should hope not, because otherwise, we would have an even bigger problem." She paused for a moment. "Besides, she's too young for you anyway."

Angel chuckled, and reached over to her side of the bed, draping one arm around her spooned body. He knew this wasn't actually perfect happiness, but it sure came close to it. This was the reason he left her, and thought again about why he stayed, when he knew he shouldn't.

Because she had asked him to.


	21. Friday

Finally, it was Friday! Buffy literally threw herself onto her bed in her dorm, exhausted after just two hours of class – she hadn't slept at all the night before. It was all for a good cause though – today was Friday!

Thursday night, she had forgone patrolling to finish up all her assignments before the weekend. College was just as bad as school – worse, because she knew she didn't actually have to be here! It was a good job that the slayer normally only needed four hours sleep maximum each night, and could function quite happily for nearly a week with no sleep (it was insurance for apocalypses).

The two hours she had had in the last two nights was enough to give her enough energy to behave normally, while feeling tired because there was no adrenaline rush to keep her going. When she was trying to save the world, Buffy would normally sleep solidly for two days before being back to normal – whatever normal was for the slayer. And that had only happened, what three, four times? Not nearly a large enough number to make a complete scientific analysis, as willow or Giles would say.

But now, all of her assignments, bar the one she had gotten today, were done, and she still had three hours before dawn finished school, and another hour on top of that before her mother left. Then, it was yet another hour until she could be in LA. Six hours was a long time when waiting to see the love of your life …

Two hours later, she had no assignments, but was still cursing whoever thought that weekends should be the time when lots of work was given out. The only thing she had left to do college wise was an essay and some reading. The essay, she wouldn't bother with until she felt like it, and the reading could be done at any old time, including curled up with her honey on Saturday afternoon, when he could go out, and she had no wish to.

As angry as she had been with her mother for leaving her and dawn alone again, and for insinuating that Angel couldn't take care of them both, she was eternally grateful that she was going away for the weekend – it would mean she could spend some quality time with her honey even if dawn was there!

* * *

At this point, I fell asleep at my laptop … now I have no idea what I was about to say – sorry. I honestly can't write at any other time – it's a sickness.

My Laptop is broken, so I now have to wait my turn to use the main computer (whatever isnt work gets pushed to the end of the que). Who knows when i will be able to update regularly again! I might manually write things out, but even so, it will be a long wait methinks, so don't hold your breath!


	22. Mummy?

I feel like something is missing, and I know I wanted to get some more stuff into the story before it go to this, but the plot bunnies wouldn't cooperate. Maybe in a while, or once I've finished this one, I'll go back and re-write this bit, or if anyone wants to complain, I would probably thank them. It's nice to get lovely reviews, but I would also love some criticism sometimes! I know people want me to write longer chapters, but I prefer doing it this way.

* * *

Buffy was in shock. Her mind would not work, and her body was folded and crumpled beneath her. She had not even thought she was sitting down, but assumed she must be, in the deep part of her brain that was working. The floor was hard under her, and strangely comforting – it didn't tend to move around that much, so when she saw the room spinning, she knew it was she and not something else. 

As her brain slowly became more awake, she only gained access to a few motor functions and thoughts. There were two thoughts running through her head: Dawn and Angel. The fact that Giles was still talking, or Willow was hugging her didn't even register. Slowly, she gained the ability to move her arms, and reached around herself, as if trying to re-assure someone (herself?) that she was still there, and she could still feel something.

She hugged herdelf tightly, knowing somewhere that the strength she ws putting into it would crack the ribs of any normal girl. It was torture, the sense of not being there, and this wasn't helping her. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't get past it, there was no way to bluff her way out of what she had been told. Giles wouldn't lie to her, and somewhere in the dark recesses of the Slayer's mind, she knew it was true – she had known even before he had said anything.

* * *

Then there was the small nagging voice at the back of her mind yelling (can you have a small voice yelling? She was only dimly aware of the thoughts as they penetrated the silence inside. Yes, she decided, you can – I am the perfect answer) something about goodbyes and I love yous. Then the voice became almost Angel like, and he was telling her how he didn't want her to make the same mistakes that he did. 

She needed him now. Now, when everything was bad, and she didn't know what to do. She needed him to take her into his strong unmoving arms and hold her there until she could stand up by herself. She needed his smooth voice talking to her. It didn't matter what he said, it could be a horror story; she wouldn't notice anything different. She needed her guardian Angel to be there for her, speaking in low tones, reassuring her that he would stay with her forever and always.

He wasn't. the one time in the last few days when she truly needed him, and he was still in LA, sorting out another visiony thing – they sure kept him hopping around, those powers that be very annoying.

None of it mattered. She was gone. Joyce summers, the mother of the vampire slayer, had been killed in a perfectly normal road accident coming back from the airport. She was dead.

* * *

Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead. Mummy's dead.

* * *

That's all there was to it. That, and how on earth could she tell Dawnie?

* * *

Obviously, very short, but what else can you put after something like that. I tried to make it as realistic as possible, and decided against doing dramatic hospital scenes, even though I wanted them – I really didn't want to write them. 

And now, you've guessed it! It's bedtime for li'l ol' me.


	23. Househunting

the bits that are centred are memories/flashbacks sort of

* * *

It had started off so well, her weekend. She and dawn had arrived in LA just before sundown, unpacked and then gone to Cordy's new apartment. On the way over, Buffy was given the readers digest version of how she found such a cheap place, fully furnished.

"Doyle tried to convince Cordy that he knew a guy, and Tina was all for it, but it took them all of Monday and Tuesday to wear her down! She finally agreed to look at it on Tuesday afternoon."

* * *

"Oh, my gosh. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

"No, never." Tina giggled behind him, as she watched Doyle sigh over Cordelia yet again. Was he ever going get the courage to ask her out?

"It's perfect. Really, really, it's just … perfect. It's amazing in there. What's wrong with it?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. The previous tenant just broke their lease last week. I don't know how you even heard about it.

Cordy smiled at Doyle, and Tina felt like bashing her head against a wall – were they ever going to get it?

"I like it." She knew her opinion probably didn't count for much, but it was worth a try, and this was a really nice place.

"It's quite a bargain, and the furniture comes with. Do you think you want it?"

"I … I used to have this. I, I was…"

"I guess it's your lucky day…"

"I used to have those, too."

"Me too, Cordy. That's what happens in LA!"

"They'll take it."

* * *

"Then things started to get weird. Sunnydale kind of weird." 

"I'm noticing more and more nowadays that Sunnydale weird isn't actually all that strange anymore. I mean, look at the similarities: I blew up a school in Sunnydale; I blew up a gym in LA. My best friend was turned into a vampire in LA, and my boyfriend was a vampire in Sunnydale … or is that "is" and both in LA? Oh, it's confusing. Umm what else? Ford! He came from LA to Sunnydale … there are still vampires and stuff. Personally, I think it's me – the more horrible bad guys flock towards the slayer, so it doesn't matter here it go – it will always involve Sunnydale weird stuff!"

"Okay, babe. Whatever you say." Buffy just punched him in the arm, and asked him to continue his story of the week's activities.

* * *

Cordy sleeping in her new apartment. The radio on her dresser turns on and switches to 1400 AM.

_You always hurt the ones you love, the ones you shouldn't hurt at all…_

Some of the drawers on her dresser open and close.

"What do you think you're doing here? You never should have come."

Drawer slams shut and Cordy wakes up. She turns off the radio and tries to turn on the lamp beside her bed. It doesn't work. She reaches for the glass of water on her nightstand and it begins to boil. Her bed is beginning to levitate.

"I just knew this was to good to be true. I just knew it! I'm from Sunnydale, you're not scaring me, you know. No. You're not scaring me. You're not scaring me. Not one bit."

"Cordy! There's something strange going on here!"

"I know!" The girls shouted back and forth for a few more minutes before Tina got up and went to the phone. It wouldn't work. Tina and Cordy spent the rest of the night sitting together on Cordelia's bed, sitting quietly praying that it would all stop.

* * *

"Was it a ghost, like we had at school, when … Angelus was there?" 

"Sort of. It turned out that – in Tina's words – there was this big conspiracy thing about 50 years ago. An old lady (Maude Pearson) had killed her son and then died of a heart attack. Dennis was trapped inside a wall, and when Cordy tried to evict Maude, she ended up freeing Dennis to save her."

"Wow. LA really is as strange as Sunnydale."

"It's staring to look that way.

"It took about as long for us to convince Cordy to let it go as it did to get her to try Doyle's way of getting an apartment. But Tina managed to do it. Unfortunately, she went back without telling anyone, and Maude tried to make her hang herself."

Buffy gasped, and looked at her cradle-robbing boyfriend in horror.

"I know it don't actually like Cordy, but that is still terrible. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's alright now. Ironically, it took her being called a bitch for her to get up the courage to do what needed to be done." The slayer began to laugh.

"Only Queen C would take being called a bitch as a complement. Only her. So how did you figure it all out?"

"We didn't. It's not like I have access to police records or anything – we'd need out very own willow for that! It all happened by chance really – Tina got all the info out of Dennis after it was all over. She's quite resourceful, you know."

"But I thought you said the ghost was evicted?"

"Well, we didn't see any harm in keeping phantom Dennis around, and it was less hassle than trying to find all of the ingredients for a spell, and Doyle trying to speak it correctly!"

* * *

would you look at that – a decent length chapter! Are you impressed? okay, it's still a little short, but ... i'm not even going to bother making up an excuse... 


	24. Guy's In Trouble

"What about you? What've you been up to in the last week – you never called."

"Well, neither did you!"

"I didn't want to interrupt school – I know you're trying hard to balance everything out now that you've had to start a new routine. I didn't want to get in the way of your new life."

"Angel!" Buffy stopped walking, causing dawn to walk into her.

"Geez!" Dawn wasn't amused _**AN is that how you spell 'geez'? I've never felt the need to write it down … or say it**_. "A little warning would be good here, ye with Slayer co-ordination." Her sister just ignored her and continued to stare at her boyfriend incredulously.

"How could you _ever_ think that you would get in the way of my life? You _are_ my life. I told you once that when I look into the future, all I see is you – all I want is you. That hasn't changed, Angel, and it never will."

At this, dawn decided she could take much more of the lovey-dovey stuff, and grabbed hold of her older sister, dragging her towards the apartment building that Angel had just pointed out to be Cordy's new place.

"You can do this later – like when I'm not around."

_'You can count on it.'_ Buffy was not best pleased that one of the most important things in her life thought that he was in her way or something. If anything, she was in his way.

The rest of the journey (all two minutes of it) was spent in silence … apart from the incessant chattering of one pre-teenage girl. Only pre-teen for another two weeks though, and then she was a full-blown hormonal train-wreck in the making. Angel would have thought he had been sent to hell again if not for the simple fact that Buffy was alive walking next to him, even if she was being a bit tight lipped about everything in general.

**_AN anyone know when dawn's B-day actually is?_**

* * *

"So what's the what in Sunnyhell?" 

"Not much. Now that 'Kathy' has gone, willow moved into my room. I think she would have had problems with her original roomie from the sounds of it. I think there's a new party in there every other day! She would have been hiding in the library and stuff. Plus: no more sneaking around when I have to go be slay gal. I mean can you imagine some of the lame covers I would have to come up with to actually keep Kathy away? 'Yeah, I'm going to get coffee – you can't come!' Like that would ever work."

Cordelia, Tina and dawn all laughed, while Angel and Doyle exchanged glances. The two Irishmen headed off to the kitchen to find the booze, leaving the girls to get caught up. Angel would find everything out later, and give Doyle the highlights – right now, Cordy had alcohol in her fridge, and it was calling for two drunken louts to keep it company.

Cordy watched them go and turned to the others,

"I think all men folk are scared by groups of girls, especially giggling ones. It would seem that they never grow out of it."

"I'm just glad that vampires and demons have a higher tolerance of alcohol that humans."

"Mmm. Hang on – demon? Who's a demon?" Tina looked at her, confused.

"I thought you knew, Cordy? Doyle's a half demon – I don't know what kind, I'm kinda bad with the details. He spikes out and everything – it's actually pretty cool once you're used to it." Cordy looked at her, and then set her face in a determined way.

"Excuse me."

"Someone's in trouble!" Ever the little kid, dawn couldn't resist.

* * *

So there we are, the cat's out of the bag, and yet another plot line has been saved. I'll get to parker next chapter I think. i really should be writing one of my three essays, but whatever. 


	25. Doyle The Demon

AN: I can't remember how the apartment was set up, so I'm taking artistic licence here, k? Well, it's not like you have much of a choice really…

* * *

"DOYLE!" Angel took one glance at the angry Cordelia and moved out of her way, slowly backing away into the main room once more. He had seen that look before, and it never boded well for the male in question. It was a night on the sofa or similar punishment for the guy. It could well be both for Doyle, because they weren't dating, and he would probably spend the night on Cordy's spare settee anyway – that is if he wasn't chucked out now for whatever he'd done.

In the lounge/dining room/Tina's room/study, the girls were looking at the kitchenette doorway in shock – clearly it had been a surprise to them whatever it was that set her off! He walked towards them, preferring to sit next to Dawn instead of moving Buffy so she could sit on him as he usually would – he wasn't quite sure what he had done earlier to upset her, but he didn't want to be in the same position as Doyle. Even if they couldn't actually _do_ anything, he still slept the best when she was wrapped up in his arms. Plus, he hated fighting with his girlfriend. Plus, he hated fighting with the slayer – it tended to be hazardous.

He turned to Tina, and missed the hurt look on Buffy's face – she wanted everything to go back to normal. She was slightly upset with him for not realising that he could never be in her way, and he wasn't helping by being typically male about it. Last time there was a communication break down (pre graduation anyway), he had fed the heart of a demon, talked with her, kissed her – a lot –, and then everything was normal again. This time, she figured it would be her doing most of the talking, as soon as dawn had gone to bed if she could wrangle it. Then again, with the speed at which the men had gone for the alcohol, and the length of time they would be there, she doubted if he would be in a state to do anything remotely serious by the time the three of they got home! Tonight, instead of Angel stopping them from going to far, it would be Buffy. She wasn't sure if she had the will power.

"What happened with Cordy then?" Clearly, Angel had no more of an idea than they did.

"No idea – we were talking, and someone said something about Doyle being a demon, and she just. Well, you saw." Angel groaned – he knew Doyle should have told her.

"Doyle likes her – don't tell either of them I'm telling you this, PLEASE!"

"Don't worry baby – I'll protect you from the big bad cheerleader and harmless half-demon"

"Hey – they can both be pretty scary sometimes!"

"Angel has a point, Buffy. Well, I don't know about Doyle, but I remember that Halloween when we all got turned into out costumes, and she was definitely kinda scary then. How did you manage to convince me that that was all a dream anyway?"

"You were young and impressionable. Plus, you believed everything big sister Buffy said, on account of hero worshipness."

"Anyway, Angel, why didn't Doyle tell Cordy?" Tina was determined to get the story – detective life was growing on her.

"Because he thinks she;s a hottie. Ouch! What was that for? There's no need for that, Buffy! That's what he said. Okay, the exact words were "She's a stiffener, alright!" but – OUCH! Tina! What did I ever do to you? All I said was –"

* * *

Meanwhile in the kitchenette …

"Why" poke "didn't" poke "you" poke "tell" poke "me" poke "that" poke "you" poke "are" poke "a" poke "demon!"

Allen Francis Doyle moved his hands up, surrendering to Cordelia's wrath. The look on her face was not dissimilar to the one that Harry had worn after a night of unplanned drinking. Scary how much alike they looked with that face. Was it a class that all women take before they get a serious boyfriend. No, he had seen that look on the faces of little girls as well. It must be a gender thing, the same way that no men ever understood exactly why he was getting the look.

"I … I, er …" he stuttered, not really wanting to tell her the real reason, but not really knowing what else to tell her instead.

"Well?"

"It just never came up?"

"Was that a question or an answer?" Cordelia felt like she was channelling her high school English teacher for second there. It was slightly worrying.

"Answer."

"And what else 'never came up'? The fact that you aren't actually who you're pretending to be, you're really a blood-sucking evil demon who I've now invited into my home!! Oh come on, you know I'm only joking – sort of – don't look at me like that!"

* * *

The rest of the evening went more or less as planned. Just before ten, Dawn passed out in Cordelia's room while the other women talked about life, the universe and everything – it had been a long week, and she wasn't even thirteen yet! Doyle and Angel drank the night away, until even Angel was completely out of it – Doyle spent the night on the sofa, having drifted off at about two in the morning. Cordy didn't have the heart to throw him out, even if he had lied to her.

At about half two, the girls called it a night – in truth, they had run out of topics, and the hapless males had run out of alcohol. Buffy woke Dawn and half carried both present members of her small 'family' back to the apartment whilst Tina made up her sofa bed and Cordy went to bed, both ignoring the sleeping half demon in the other sofa. It was a good job that neither of them were particularly light sleepers!

It took Buffy a good half hour to get her drunken boyfriend and half asleep sister the normally five minute walk back home, and she was very surprised that she hadn't run into any vamps on the way. That would have been difficult to cope with. Having said that, Angel could have probably held his own against them, and not many of the LA vamps knew about the good vampire yet. Or if they did, they only knew him by name and rep. not by face – it would have been really impossible in Sunnydale.

One thing Buffy had noticed in the last week or so were the different lifestyles of the different vampires. You were more likely to find unfortunate fledglings without any guidance from their sires in LA, whist in Sunnydale; most of the new vampires were made for a reason, either as minions to an enterprising new vamp, or as a message to the slayer. In Sunnydale, the only real threats were the master vampires like Spike, Drusilla, Darla and Angel (plus _The_ Master), in LA; they travelled around in large, scary packs. She supposed they were less likely to be recognised as creature of the night that way – vampire are seen in pop culture as lonely, solitary people, and there were enough street gangs in any city to reduce suspicion from a large scary group of people.

* * *

In response to Tiffani, who asked about Joyce's death, these past chapters were sort of a back in time thingy, because I wrote and posted them after I had posted Joyce's death, and I kinda like it that way. I was hoping for more of a response, but I don't think that many people actually read this! I'm going to finish off this weekend, possibly leaving Buffy storming out of LA or something drastic; I haven't quite thought that far ahead. It will go back to Joyce/Buffy/Angel stuff in two or three chapters, and I have already written most of the funeral stuff.

I don't really tend to write stuff in any chronological order, because it depends on my mood. If I am happy, I wouldn't be able to write the funeral stuff, and when I'm pissed off, I cant write fluffy stuff. Most of the time I cant write fluffy stuff! That's another reason for sometimes slow and sometimes fast updates. You just have to be patient, and I haven't forgotten about anything … at least not that I remember!


	26. Talking

Saturday had passed by peacefully, as Buffy and dawn rose at about midday, and Angel at five in the afternoon, still finding Buffy curled up in his arms. She had sent dawn upstairs, with the promise that if she opened the post and filed it half-decently, she would be paid. While the younger summers occupied her self with that, Buffy grabbed her readings and got back into bed – she had planned to curl up with Angel on the sofa, but this was just as good, and quiet, except for the occasional thump from upstairs.

At around three, Tina arrived, and gave them the news that Cordelia and Doyle were still asleep (in separate places) back at their apartment, before going back out to get food for them all. By the time she came back, dawn was bored, and persuaded her to go shopping for a few hours. This meant that by the time Angel awakened, there was only himself and his girl in his apartment, and Buffy was more than ready to have a serious talk with him.

* * *

She waited for at least twenty minutes before she couldn't stand to wait any longer, and began.

"Angel, why do you think you aren't important in my life?"

Instead of answering, he just walked away, and opened to 'door' to the sewer tunnels, before jumping down and continuing to walk away. Buffy stared after him, blinked once or twice, and then followed him, not even realising that neither of them were particularly well dressed, and that they were both being slightly idiotic.

Both the vampire and the Slayer were guilty of the same things, but neither of them could see where they were doing wrong. Angel was convinced that he was doing the right thing by staying out of her way, and Buffy didn't even realise that she was responsible of doing the same thing that he was.

Both of them needed to be introduced to the art of communication. Angel had never been good at it, as Liam, Angelus or now. He had always kept his emotions and thoughts very tightly inside, even when he had had the most to drink in the entire tavern. He and Darla had never felt the need to communicate – they would always end up together again, even if they parted in another country – the bond between sire and childe brought them together, much as Drusilla always searched for him when near – if she tried hard enough, she would always be able to find her, but he wasn't so sure that was sane enough to be able to do that.

Buffy never knew that communication was important; Angel had been her first serious boyfriend – sure she had gone to dances with boys, and kissed them, maybe even made out a little, but the longest they had ever lasted was probably a month, a month and a half at the very most. Her parents had not been the best role models either, her dad cheating, and her mum keeping other secrets – she had never learnt that you need to talk to your partners to keep anything going. She was going to learn pretty fast if she and Angel stayed together for much longer.

* * *

She only had to walk for a few minutes before she had caught up with her vamp. He had stopped, and was leaning up against a wall, somehow managing to look even sexier than usual, his head bowed against his gloriously naked chest.

'If only it weren't for the curse …'

But even being allowed to do anything wouldn't save them, they had to talk, and it wasn't likely to be pretty either.

"I can't do this without you Angel! I just can't."

"You were more than capable of looking after yourself when I wasn't there to help you, now I'm here, there shouldn't be any reason that you need me!"

"Before I met you, I was still a real child, and able to really depend on my parents and watchers to look out for me. Even then, I thought I had someone else watching out for me. Now I know it was you, so you have always looked out for me when I needed it."

"Afterwards, you still never needed much looking after – you don't need me Buffy, you never really have!"

"Do you know what I was like after I sent you – last summer? I couldn't look at a guy with dark hair without hoping it was somehow you, I couldn't close my eyes without seeing you, I couldn't stay in Sunnydale and see all the places we had been to, together, fighting or as friends. I couldn't do anything, Angel. I looked after myself in the way that I didn't die completely on the outside, but there was nothing inside of me.

"I don't believe it! We've ended up in the bloody sewers again. Why do we need to do this in the sewers of all places?"

"Because you wouldn't let me get any further, and I didn't want to argue n a place where anyone could just walk in."

"Oh." She took a deep breath, and began her tirade anew.

"When you came back, that was when I really pulled myself together – someone needed me – you needed me! After you got better, and you said you didn't need me anymore … you still don't, but I can't bear to leave you."

"I always need you!"

"Then why didn't you call?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you have your own life here in LA now, you're working, doing something important, getting paid for it etc. I have no right to just barge in and expect –"

"You have every right."

"So why didn't you call me then? If I'm not intruding on your new life, then why didn't you call me to tell me, to check whether I was okay because you didn't know coz I hadn't called."

"Because I wasn't sure if I'm still welcome in that life. Just like you said, we have separate lives now, as well as ones together. I cant just –"

"No, Angel don't do this to me again – and especially not in a sewer. We both agreed that we would make decisions together, not that one of us would make them for both of us. Maybe I don't need you anymore – I'm a big girl, and I can make choices too."

She walked out of the dark, and back to the apartment to grab some clean clothes and take a shower. Angel stood there for a while longer, the darkness not making any difference to him, and not quite sure what to do with himself. He hadn't been going to suggest they break up, just that they talk some more over the phone, but Buffy seemed inclined to blow everything way out of proportion. He was very confused.

* * *

There was still an uncomfortable atmosphere when dawn got back with Tina, and for once, she did the tactful thing, and asked if she could go and sleep at Cordy's place, because she and Tina were still a bit freaked about the whole ghost situation. Buffy agreed, not really paying much attention, and her little sister was gone within twenty minutes.

The star-crossed lovers were both still emotionally drained after a quick patrol, in which, one could cut the tension with a knife. Silently, Buffy changed in the bathroom (no need to produce temptation), as Angel stripped down to his boxers in a bedroom which he wasn't sure if it was his or theirs. Silently, they got into bed, and instead of Buffy immediately curling herself around the vampire, she stayed put firmly on her side of the bed.


	27. Every Rose Has Its Thorns

The song is 'Every rose has its thorns' by Poison. I love this song, and if you haven't heard it, you should. If you have heard it, go listen again!

* * *

_  
We both lie silent still,  
__In the dead of the night.  
__Though we both lie close together,  
__We are miles apart inside._

All through the night, neither one of them slept, not comfortable with being both this close together, and that far apart. What had been said that evening was weighing heavy on both of their hearts, and Angel wasn't sure how to fix it. He didn't even really know what 'it' was.

_Was it something I did or something I said?__  
Did my words not come out right?__  
Though I try not to hurt you,__  
Though I try.  
__But I guess that's why they say _

She didn't mean to say it all quite like that, it had just come out a bit wrong. She would always need him, and she needed him to realise that, before it was too late, again. They had both tried to protect each other, and that's when everything had gone horribly wrong.

_I guess every rose has its thorn  
__Just like every night has its dawn __  
Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song__  
Every rose has its thorn_ _  
Yeah it does …_

Every relationship has its ups and downs – after 240+ years, he should know. After being turned, he may not have had that many relationships, but he had watched the mindless humans fret over theirs. It was the same old story: something goes wrong, and the girl gets mad, the guy tries to make her see sense, but it doesn't work too well, they split up for a while, and then see how much they need each other and get back together. They weren't like that – they had already had too many wrongs, too much sadness. It wasn't meant to be like this; they both knew how much they needed the other to survive! They were meant to be forever.

* * *

Buffy left that morning. She gave Angel a small kiss, and, seeing that he had finally dropped off, wrote a short note to him and placed in on her pillow. She collected stuff together with stealth only a slayer possessed, and went to collect dawn from Cordy's. 

When Doyle answered the door, dressed in a robe that looked suspiciously ripped in several key places, she didn't bat an eye, but asked him to tell dawn that they were leaving, and went back down to the car park, where her mother's car was waiting, with the radio plying softly in the background.

_I listen to her favourite song __  
Playing on the radio.__  
Yeah the DJ says loves a game of __  
Easy come and easy go._

Everyone else thinks that love is so easy. If two people love each other, them what else could go wrong? You have each other for support and love, and what else could you ever need. Love isn't like that. It's … beautiful and terrible, wonderful and frightening, everything and nothing.

_But I wonder does he know?__  
Has it ever felt like this?__  
And I know that you'd be here right now,__  
If I could have let you know somehow_

If they couldn't work this out now, it would keep just dragging them down again and again. But, she had left because she didn't want to try and work it out any more. She needed him to realise that he really was the most important thing in her life, not seeing that she was guilty of not realising that the opposite was also true.

_I guess every rose has its thorn  
__Just like every night has its dawn __  
Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song__  
Every rose has its thorn_

When he woke up to find her gone, he was scared witless. When he read the note, it almost get worse. He couldn't try to live without her again – it had been hard enough all those other times, but they had had a good thing going for them, and there was no logical reason for it to be calling it to an emergency stop, not now, not ever. Every couple had their share of ups and downs, and it was up to them to get through them, to rise above them, and to become closer because of it.

_Though it's been a while now,__  
I can still feel so much pain __  
Like the knife that cuts you,__  
The wound heals but the scar,__  
Yes the scar will remain_.

There was silence all the way to Sunnydale, Buffy too busy glowering to say anything, and Dawn slightly afraid that she would set Buffy off. She knew her sister wouldn't hurt her, but she really didn't want her to get even more upset than she obviously already was.

At least she had got Cordy and Doyle together, although she really didn't want to know what they were doing right now, now that they'd got the impressionable young girl out of the way.

She wondered what had happened between Buffy and Angel to make her feel the need to leave so early, and not talk at all. She hadnt even come in to Cordy's place, instead just going to wait int eh car. It wasn't normal Buffy behavoir, and she didn't know what was causing it. She just hoped she souldnt have to play matchmaker for them again – it was hard enough last time to arrange everything. Now, it would be even harder, because it would all have to be done on purpose, and not just the occasional shove in the right direction.

_I know I could have saved our love that night if I'd known what to say __  
And instead of making love we both made our severed ways __  
And now I hear you've met someone new and that I never meant that much to you_ _  
And to see you cuts me like a knife_

He didn't know whether to jump in his car as soon as it was dark enough and drive to Sunnydale, or whether to give her the space she obviously needed. He didn't know whether she meant that she didn't need him, and he didn't know if she understood how much he needed her.

If he didn't go after her, she might take it as them being over, and find a new love. A nice, normal guy who could give her everything she wanted. He knew he could never see her in the arms of another without breaking said arms. If that happened, he would still go and check on her, just to make sure she and Dawnie were okay, but he knew it would kill a little bit more of him each time he did. He didn't know whether he had the strength to do that, but then, he didn't think he had the strength to leave her in the first place.

_I guess every rose has its thorn  
__Just like every night has its dawn __  
Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song__  
Every rose has its thorn_

When Buffy and dawn got back to Sunnydale, it was about mid-morning, and Giles was waiting for them in the hallway of the house. Buffy always asked him to check by at night when there was no one there, just in case of some nasties creeping around without her to kill them. She took one look at his face and asked dawn to take both of their stuff upstairs – she would explain later.

* * *

By the time he had made up his mind to give her some space, Doyle had come charging in with new s of another decision – about some club somewhere. Great, the powers obviously didn't want him to follow her.

* * *

Some of you are a bit confused by the skipped around. I shall try to explain.

In order of chapters:  
Chapter 21 - Friday before she gets to LA  
Chapter 22 - Sunday after getting back from LA  
Chapters 23-25 - Friday in LA  
Chaper 26 - Saturday in LA  
Chapter 27 (this one) - Sunday morning/early afternoon. Going home from LA

Is that a bit easier to understand now?


	28. Kate

"You know, from the headache I've gotten, I would say that this has been brewing for at least a day – I probably got it sometime on Friday night."

"Well, that's another reason not to drink so much – you miss the visions!"

"Princess, I think you've got that a bit backwards, if by drinking too much, I'm never going to be sober again!"

"And that makes such a change because…"

"Now I have a reason to get drunk!"

"Ow." Cordy hit her head on the nearest stationary object – it seemed that her head was harder than Tina's shoulder, and backfired somewhat.

"Anyway, I know you were probably looking forward to sitting in the dark, brooding silently now your girl's up 'n' left back home, but you've gotta come out with us now, and we're not taking 'no' for an answer." Angel just sighed and went to get his duster – if he had to go to a bar, he would do it in his own sweet time.

* * *

"Oooh! I forgot – our cards are in!" They were cruising around LA trying to find the place, when Cordy suddenly squealed from her place next to Doyle in the back of Angel's car. Tina, sitting directly in front of her gave a start, and the vampire reached over to support her when she looked like she was likely to jump 3 feet in the air at any moment – it wouldn't be good for his driving.

"Sorry, Tina. Here – everyone take some, we can pass them around in the club, and then maybe we'll have some actual business instead of just these stupid visions. And people will know how to reach you in emergencies and stuff."

* * *

At the club, all four paid members of Angel Investigations split up and wandered around, Tina heading for the dance floor, Angel for the bar, and Cordy and Doyle just flittering around.

Cordy began handing out cards to everyone she saw, until Doyle distracted her with a kiss and took them out of her hands. They walked over to the other side of the bar to Angel, and began to talk in normal tones, about who everyone in the place was, and what their problems could be.

Tina wasn't a good actress, but she didn't really have to work at the whole undercover thing – for tonight she was just another girl having a nice night out with a few friends, friends that were scattered all over the place.

* * *

"So, anything unusual ever happen here? I've heard a few stories." Angel had decided to try a more subtle approach, and played the newcomer/tourist wanting to know all the best spots. This might be a far cry from the taverns he used to visit regularly when he was as young as he looked, but the same basic things applied – the bartenders knew everything.

That approach worked for all of five minutes, when he wandered off to take out the rubbish, and a blond girl sat down next to him, heavily and with a big sigh.

"Rough day?"

"Rough week."

"Too bad." The blond made some sort of nodding motion, before letting her head drop to the table. Angel stared at her for a moment speaking again.

"Would you like a drink; you look like you could probably use one."

"If that was a pick-up line, it's one of the worst I've ever heard."

"What? Oh. It wasn't. I have a girlfriend … at least, I think I've still got a girlfriend anyway …" Normally, he wouldn't be telling anyone this, but if this was the person he was trying to help, then he had to try.

"Nice. Well, thanks anyway, but no. I only came to talk to Joe, and then I'm out of here, and as he went that way – I should probably follow him. Thank you though."

Angel made a non-committal noise, and watched her go, wondering why he felt so uneasy about the whole thing. Ignoring the next girl to sit next to him, he followed the unnamed blond out side, where he saw the barman (Joe, he presumed) holding her up against him. She was unconscious, and her shirt was ripped down the middle. Angel barely had time to process the thought that there was a demon coming out of the man before throwing something at the man – he wasn't sure what it was.

* * *

"He's going to kill again, now. He has to."

"Who are you?"

* * *

When it was all over, Angel walked over to the blond. He still didn't know her name.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"So, who are you?"

"Angel. I'm, I'm starting up an investigation team. The rest of the group should be somewhere inside still. For now, I'm more or less a privet inspector."

"Where's your licence? ID?"

"That's the less part."

"I see. I'm Kate."

"Nice to meet you, Kate."

"And you, Angel."

* * *

Later that evening, after he had found Tina, broken up a fight between two random guys and Doyle and finally got back to his apartment, he found a message on his machine.

"Angel? I need you. Could you please come here? Now? Please."


	29. How To Tell A Kid

"It's okay, Buffy. I'll be right here in the kitchen – you go up and talk to her."

"Giles. I – I cant do this. I-I don't know what to do – I've never done this before – any of it. I don't know how. I-I need …" Angel. She needed Angel. But even if he got her message, he couldn't be here for a while yet. They got home at three, and she left the message three hours later – an hour after he was likely to be waking up. Most likely, he was in the office, and then had gone patrolling straight afterwards. By the he'd heard it and got to Sunnydale, it could be two or three in the morning – seven or eight hours from now. She wasn't sure what to do or how to handle it.

Not knowing how to really proceed, Buffy started to walk very slowly up the stairs towards dawn. She couldn't really soften the blow at all – how can you do that to anyone who isn't a very small child. She couldn't just say to dawn that mummy's gone away for a while, so Buffy would look after you, and mummy would watch you while you sleep to make sure you're okay. Dawn was a teenager, and therefore more logical than a child and less logical than an adult. How do you tell a teen that her mother has died?

"Dawnie?"

"Hmm?" For once, she wasn't actually trying to listen to everything going on downstairs. She must have been just as scared by the look on Giles' face as Buffy was!

Buffy sat down on her sister's bed next to the younger girl, briefly smiling, when her sister immediately moved to put her brown hair into the slayer's lap. As she had done so many times before, Buffy stroked her baby sister's hair, lovingly, wondering how long it would last.

"That trip that mum went on this weekend? She flew there. Dawnie, there – there was an accident; on the plane." She continued to stroke her head, even as Dawn stiffened at the words. Now came the even harder part. "Nobody survived, Dawnie."

"Mum?"

"She – she died." Buffy felt her eyes begin to water again, and stopped herself sharply. She could cry later, now she had to be in the here and now, with Dawnie.

"I don't believe you"

"I know." The calm words were spoken in such even tones, one would have thought they were just practising lines for a play, not conversing about their mother's recent demise.

"I don't believe you. You're lying. Get out. Get out get out **GET OUT**!!!"

Dawn yanked her head away from Buffy and lay down face first into her mattress, screaming for Buffy to get out of her room. Buffy did as she was told, and, with her head bowed, returned to Giles downstairs, where she was greeted with a cup of tea, and more news about the death, and what she had to do as the next on kin. Her dad was unreachable, but messages had been left. Messages! How could anyone do that?

_'We're very sorry to bother you Mr Summers, but your ex-wife has just died, and we need you to take care of some things for us.'_ Yeah, that would go down like a lead balloon. At least Giles was down next on the list if they couldn't get hold of Buffy – her mum did do some things right as she began to understand more about being the slayer.

* * *

Extract from Dawn's Diary – twenty minutes later.

_At the moment, I feel really numb. Buffy came in twenty minutes ago. She said that mum died in an accident – there isn't a body, but no one survived. I don't know what to think or what to believe. Shouldn't I feel upset, or angry or something? I just don't feel anything._

_Once, I read this book, where a girl knew her mother was going to die, and when she was told that she had died, it seemed like she didn't care, because she had already cried herself out, and knew it was going to happen, unlike her younger sister (at least o think it was her sister) who didn't know. Everyone thought that she didn't care, because she didn't say anything, save for 'oh, I'll go have my bath now'. That's how I feel._

_I didn't know about this, but I … I'm not really sure._

_Mum's dead.__  
__Mummy's gone._

_I need to lie down.  
__I am.  
__I need my sister.

* * *

_

"Buffy?"


	30. Big Sister

"Buffy?"

Dawn walked through into the living room, looking almost drunken in her attempt to reach a safe place – her sister. The slayer was sitting on a sofa with her head in her hands, not crying or making a sound, just – sitting.

"She's not coming back, is she." She was twelve, and understood about death, that didn't make it any easier to accept.

"No, Dawnie, she isn't. Not this time. Not anymore."

"Buffy?"

The slayer's sister looked so lost and alone in this instant, that Buffy forgot anything and everything else, and went to her. Folding her arms around the (only just) smaller girl, Buffy lowered herself back onto the settee, stroking her baby sister's hair, and doing whatever she could.

* * *

For now, she wanted to forget everything but 'Buffy-big-sister'. She wasn't 'Buffy the slayer' or 'Buffy the girl friend' or 'Buffy the student' – she was no one but family to her kid sister.

For nine or ten years, that's who she had been, and then, everything went wrong. She became the slayer, and Buffy could not manage her friends, her duties and her sister all at once. Their parents' marriage had been breaking, and they were all that each other had, convincing themselves that everything would work out fine, in the comforts of the eldest' bed. Then, Buffy had been missing most nights, training or patrolling, or out with friends, and quite often, she would return to find her nine-year-old sister curled up in her sister's bed, instead of her own. Buffy would gently move dawn into her room, and sit there (just as she was now), smoothing her hair, and just being there for a poor baby girl who needed comfort. Maybe if faith had received some such love, she wouldn't have ended up as she had.


	31. Comfort

She didn't know how long they sat like that for, but it must have been a good long time, because the next thing Buffy knew, was that Giles was gone, someone had just broken down the front door and was yelling for her, and that feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever Angel was there, was there.

Just as quickly, she was being pulled into a hug that would rival anyone else, and dark brown eyes were checking both her and dawn for any signs of injuries. All they found were tear tracks on the younger face, and an empty, haunted look in the older one.

"Buffy! Buffy, tell me what happened! Where's Giles? And your mother …"

He stopped when she looked at him, and he knew what had happened. Well, not exactly, but he got the gist of it. Joyce Summers was dead, and her girls needed him to be there for them.

Dawn was in what seemed like a trance, eyes glazed over, and seemingly unable to cry for any longer; Buffy looked just as she always did whenever she didn't like the score. The same expression that had greeted her face when Faith did _anything,_ the one she wore when a loved one was in danger. That same look which he hoped (if that was the right term to use) she had worn after she had sent him to hell as Angel, and not Angelus.

* * *

He had no idea how he was meant to comfort her – the only time anything like this had happened was when Ford died two or three years ago; he wasn't even friends with her then, just the cryptic vampire! He didn't know if he was supposed to talk to them, or just be there; ask what happened, or pretend everything was normal. In 243 years, he was always either the cause of death, or uninvolved and looking in from the outside. Now, he was almost directly in the middle, and he had no idea how to put any of it right.

Joyce would have known what to do – they may not have gotten along, in fact, he was pretty sure that Buffy's mother had hated him, but she always knew how to make Buffy feel better. It didn't even matter if she knew what was wrong – it was that whole mum thing; she didn't have to know exactly what was wrong to make it right again.

And what about Dawnie? She was not even thirteen yet! It was far too young to lose anyone, especially your mother. What would happen to her now? He supposed that Buffy would take guardianship until their father could come and get her (he was away for who knew how long and to God only knows where!) and take the near teen with him. Buffy was only eighteen; she couldn't really be expected to look after a kid and go to school on top of paying for them both to live (and slay, but the law doesn't know about that)!

Perhaps he could help. But he didn't really exist. There was no way that he could give them money or anything else, for that matter, without someone finding out. Sooner or later, the police would find out that he didn't exist, and then he would be dust faster that you can say "vampire".

He had no clue what to do in the long run, but for now, he was pretty sure that sitting down on the sofa with one girl on his lap, and the other curled around his side was the right place to be. If it made Joyce's girls any happier, he would do anything.

* * *

sorry it's been so long - had quite a lot of school work and loads of problems with this chapter. the next one is nearly done though - it should be up tomorrow.


	32. Mothers

"Death is very real, and not all of us realise that. In fact, I don't think any of us truly can, not until it really is too late. I don't understand it, and I don't really want to. All I know is that a woman who I loved is no longer here, and that hurts. It hurts an awful lot.

"I thought for ages about what to say here, and I still don't really know whether I'm doing and saying the right things. I'm not going to stand here and tell you what a wonderful woman Joyce Summers is – and I do say 'is' and not 'was' – because you already know that, or you wouldn't be here. This is the woman who waited on me, and my friends, when I was too ill to get out of bed, just so that I would have company while being ill. This is the woman who fought against me so much, just to protect me from things I already knew."

Buffy paused and looked around the crowd of people in the church. She hadn't written a speech, because she knew she wouldn't remember it, or her cue cards would get put in the wrong order. Instead, she made it up on the spot, hoping that she could fit everything that she wanted to fit into it.

Angel couldn't be there, being day and inside a church, but she wanted to be selfish, and have him there anyway. It wasn't fair that the one person who could make all the pain go away couldn't be there for her when she needed him. He had held her and let her cry until there were no more tears to cry, but now, she had to remain strong. At least it was an afternoon service and not a morning one – it would soon be over, and he would be waiting for her in the graveyard where they had so often made out between the crypts.

She took a deep breath and began again, making sure to watch her words so that they made sense to people who knew nothing of her nightlife.

"You know, when I was 16, I died. I drowned when a guy knifed me and shoved me into a puddle – it wasn't very deep, but the blood loss made me too week to push myself up and out of it. I thought I understood what death meant then, and I've had a few more brushes with it since then. I became sick, and fainted in the middle of a cemetery at about midnight, I got into a fight with a girl who is like a twin sister to me, and she ended up falling off a building after trying to kill me. I was in hospital for a few days, and she is still in a coma. Each time, my friends brought me back, and my family was there to support me.

"I've been told before that my friends and my family is what separates me from other girls who have been in my situation. Every time I was in trouble at school, my mum picked up the pieces, and they all still loved me for who I am. My boyfriend (who couldn't be here today) and I have got into more than our fair share of struggles, and every time, we pick up the pieces and move on. Most girls who have problems at school have no one there for them to do that. They might have the occasional mentor, or teacher who really believes in them. I have one, and he is sitting right there, in the front row, ready to give me a huge hug when I go back to my seat.

"I'll never be able to hug my mother again, so do me a favour? Every one who can, give their mum a hug and a kiss on the cheek for me. Every time you see her, don't forget to hug her, reassure her that it doesn't matter how old you get, you will always be her baby. Tell your mothers you love them before you go to sleep, and before she says goodbye in the morning. Phone her at least once a week just to say 'hi, I'm still alive and kicking – how are you'. Make sure you never end a day on a fight – make sure she knows you still love her, no matter what you say that may seem contrary.

"When they are around, we take mothers for granted. We don't appreciate them, we don't realise just how much work they do for us. Please, please, don't make that mistake any longer, because once she's gone, it's too late to tell her, and she's never coming back.

"People say that our loved ones are always with us, and maybe, that is true on some levels, but on other level, I am never going to see my mummy again. That's why we have other people, friends, and surrogate family, and that id how I know that Joyce summers in not truly gone. We remember her, and we always will."

* * *

I'm going to leave this now, because I really like this chapter, and what it does. It brings an end to this story line, so for all future chapter, lets just assume that although the pain is still there (clearly) it isn't a main feature of the story. The important part is that now Joyce is out of the way!!

On another subject, what is done in American schools for thanksgiving – do you have a day off on the Thursday, or what? It's important because in the episodes, Dawn didn't exist for this timeframe, and I don't know what to do about her …


	33. Crying

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, and I am so sorry that my updates are getting worse – I'm now starting to panic that I have a 5000-word essay due in a few weeks that I haven't started. Anyway, information about thanksgiving is much appreciated, although now I have to change the story a little bit.

Do we reckon that Buffy's dad really was in LA during IWRY, or was it just an excuse? I somehow doubt it, as we never hear from him again, but … actually, I'm not sure which answer would be best for the plot. I need help!

* * *

The service had ended. She was reluctant to call it a funeral, because there had been no body to bury, or burn. She remembered two things about it in the following days: she made a big important speech which all of her friends thought was very fitting, and she and dawn were sat either side of Giles, with his arms around both of them, filling the part of the father who couldn't be bothered to be there.

The week before the … memorial service, she thought it must have been … was pretty much a flurry of activity. There had been decisions to make about flowers, plaques and whether or not to have a wake. In the end, dawn hadn't wanted to go through one, and Buffy had made the executive decision to not have one, even though everyone else had said that was the wrong decision. Well, not in so many words, and Angel and Giles hadn't really said anything either way. Angel hadn't said anything at all really. He had left LA in the semi-capable hands of Cordy, Tina and Doyle, and was seemingly stuck to Buffy's side – wherever she went, he went too. Until today that is; it was the first time the slayer had gone outside during the day.

She hadn't been to college, and wasn't really sure what she should do about it, Giles had done all of the shopping for Buffy and dawn, and the 'Scooby Gang' had been slaying for her, just as they had the summer before, when she was Anne. The 'Fang Gang' on the other hand were sorting out a case which would be much easier with Angel around. A girl was being harassed by her ex boyfriend, and had turned to Angel Investigations to help. Cordy had another houseguest, whilst Doyle exercised his rights as a demon to beat up a human jerk.

Life was so much easier now that Cordelia knew about him being a demon – she didn't think he would break if he got into a fight with another demon. Sure, he didn't fight as well as Angel or Buffy, but then, he wasn't as strong, and hadn't really been honing his abilities all that much; all he had wanted to do before the PTB showed up was to fit in as a human. Now, he was more concerned with fighting the good fight.

This was the first time in a week that Angel hadn't been by her side – she followed him when he went away to eat, and he had a few bites off of her plate when someone reminded her to have food – usually dawn or Angel. Each night he stayed by her side, reading softly to her in some language or another (it didn't really matter, because she was tired enough that even in English it wouldn't have made sense to her) and then sleeping only once he was sure she was safe.

It was getting harder and harder to not o much more than kiss, but that curse was still in place, and that was their bit in life. A few weeks ago, they had got to the same stage they were at just before her seventeenth birthday. The part at the end of the night, now weekend, where they had to say goodbye was getting harder. The part first thing in the morning when they either woke to an empty bed, or to a lover they couldn't love was much easier said than done. The bits in the middle when all either of them wanted to do was to be with each other with no restraints had never been more difficult. There was no longer a law in place making sure Buffy stayed at school all day, there was nothing tangible to keep them apart, only their sense of duty to the world.

Angel loved seeing Buffy when she had just woken up in his arms, even if it took a lot of self-control on both their parts. He loved knowing that there was someone in the world that loved him even though he could change into a soulless beast the moment they made love. He was getting to the point when he was going to tell willow to have that curse ready, and lock both himself and the slayer in a room somewhere. She could handle herself against angelus, and willow could quite easily re-curse him. Well, maybe not quite easily, but it wouldn't be like averting an apocalypse type hard … just preventing one from ever happening in the first place!

* * *

As everyone left the building, dawn approached Buffy.

"Is it okay if I stay somewhere else tonight? I don't. I don't want to go home by myself. Not now."

"That's fine Dawnie. Do you wanna go with Giles? He has a spare room that he said I could use whenever – I'm sure you could too."

"Yes please."

Buffy walked her sister over to where Giles was standing at the exit, wishing people well as they left; he didn't think Buffy needed the extra trouble just yet – not for people she only knew by sight. He knew none of them, but was quite able to do the 'adulty thing you do so well' and accepted as soon as Buffy had asked him.

"Giles? Dawn um doesn't want to go just yet. Could she maybe"

"Yes, yes of course. Come along then dawn – my car's just down the road, and I'm longing for a good strong cup of tea. I'm sure you could use a hot drink too, and then maybe I'll be able to find …"

The voices died away as the slayer watched her only family walk away from her, protected from the big bad world by a librarian. The irony was almost amusing, and might well be in any other situation. But this was her mother's memorial service, and nothing could really be humorous right now. She sat on the steps of the small church, surprised at how many people didn't realise she was there until they had almost tripped over her. The few that she did know sat with her for a while, reminiscing, whilst the others just walked away and got on with their lives; she wondered why they were even there.

* * *

Buffy only realised that sunset had been and gone when she heard him sit beside her, and whisper for her ears only,

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier."

"It isn't your fault, Angel. You're here now, and I don't care about earlier."

She placed her hand in his and rested her head on his reassuringly sturdy shoulder, and for the first time since her mother died, she really talked to someone. Granted, he was not really a person, but he was close enough.

"What happens now, Angel? Up till now, I've had things to do, people to phone, places to visit. I don't know what happens now."

"Now? Now you live. Now, you do everything you would normally do, because that's what your mother would have wanted."

"But she's gone! She's gone and nothing will bring her back. Not now, not ever – she's left me. I thought she would always be here, always disapprove of slaying, always hate you, always love willow and Xander because I do (and they're human), and always make me watch Dawn when I really didn't want to. Now she can't. She can't!"

And for the first time since her mother's death, Buffy summers, the vampire slayer, cried.

* * *

Alright, I know I said that this storyline was over, but I wanted to put in a little bit more angst and Angel comfort. So sue me! 


	34. Jus' Talkin', No Lovin'

The were curled up on Buffy's bed at her house, talking softly even though there was no one around to wake up.

"What do I do about school? I can't stay in the dorms, and I definitely can't do the normal college thing – I have to look after Dawn now! And what about the house? I don't know if I can afford to live here anymore, and I don't understand any of it, and mum understood, but now she's gone, and –"

Angel put his forehead against hers and stroked her hair out of the way of her face. It didn't seem to matter if she was ecstatically happy, or terribly sad; she was always the most beautiful thing in the world. The most beautiful girl–woman out there. And she was his. Nothing on earth could make him want to leave her again, and he still couldn't remember exactly why he felt that he needed to go in the first place.

He had gone because of the curse, and because he had felt that they had no future together, ignoring his heart, not for the first or last time in his long life. It was increasingly tricky to work around the curse, but they were managing it, and the others would come only with time, if they were to come. He had wanted to let Buffy live her life without him before it was too late, but since returning to her, he had realised that it was too late that very first moment he saw her on the steps of Hemry High School all those years ago. It felt life a lifetime at least, and yet it was only just past four years now.

How was it possible to come to love someone so much in just four years? How was it, that when she came to Sunnydale, he couldn't bear to be around her, because he couldn't _be_ with her? Who dictated that their love was so special that it lasted through hell and decades of torment? How could it be that even the demon with the face of an angel had fallen for this … this girl?

When he finally met those pesky PTB, they were clearly going to have words. Lots of them. And the powers weren't likely to come out of that talk in very good shape.

He stroked her head once more before returning his thoughts to her ramblings.

"You don't need to be in school all the time – you might even be able to speak to your professors about a schedule that would allow you to be there for Dawn, and still live your life. You may not be able to live in the dorms now, but that will give you more money from your fund to spend on clothes and … stuff."

Being 243 years old didn't mean he had any more of a clue than any other man when it came to shopping, clothes or girls. He was lucky that he'd made it this far in life as undamaged as he had. Oh wait, he was basically immortal, and those cute puppy dog eyes of his made it impossible for any woman to want to stake him. It was no wonder he was still alive … or not alive when you think about it.

* * *

Yeah, I have A-Level coursework in the morning…later today even, so I have to leave this here. 


	35. Maybe She Does Care

Anyone who is interested: I think my coursework went fine, so now I'm doing a quick chapter before revising for my test in the morning, before sleeping. Again, will be short.

* * *

**Dawn's POV**

I never really thought she would be, you know, gone. It was always like, something's wrong. Where's mum? She'll know what to do, and how to do it and when to do it and all that stuff. Buffy doesn't seem to know what to do or how to even start. I've never even heard her cry about it, and I'm never really out of her sight for any long period of time – I think she thinks I would try something stupid.

Yeah, what would I do? Try to bring her back to life? Yeah right – willow might be starting to be all witchy, but she doesn't exactly do many spells and stuff – the hardest one I've heard her do was … actually, I don't think any of her spells have worked; at least none that I know of. That girl – Amy – she did a really cool one that made us all love Xander (I was already in love with him, so I wasn't really affected), but I don't know where she is any more.

Anyway, even if willow could actually use magic like she says she can, she's all wrapped up in Oz-land, feeling sad that _my mum_ died! For God's sake – it was my mum that died, not everyone else's! Okay, Buffy's as well, but that's not the point right here and now. Willow and Xander seem to be taking this really to heart, but I don't understand why. It wasn't them who she sat by when they were sick, or let sleep in her bed after a nightmare, or was always there to just listen and not judge about anything. They both have their own mummies to do that for them, why do they want mine?

I think it's just because of Buffy. I mean, like wow, she's like the slayer. Oh yeah, coz that's so cool – I'm the slayer, and I'm so cool that I have a vampire boyfriend, and a special clique of friends and in jokes, and I don't have time for my little sister anymore, because I'm so much cooler than her. I don't think she even cares that mum left us. She really doesn't seem bothered by that fact the MUM IS DEAD.

I don't know what Giles or Angel or Oz think about anything even remotely do with mum's death. Giles is just too … well, English about it all! AN I'm English so don't say I'm being racist or anything stupid – just using the stereotype to my advantage. Angel is Angel! I never have a clue what he is thinking, and he always seems so depressed anyway, except when he's with Buffy.

I wonder if she knows that she sees a totally different side of him to everyone else?

Oz … well, he never really speaks. He and willow have conversations where willow will speak for ages, and oz will just nod his head at the end, and say in that really cool way of his "Yeah, I see." Or something like that anyway. He and Angel are so much alike, well except for the part where Angel is a vampire and oz is human. And the age difference. And oz plays in a band. And … well, okay, there's loads of things they aren't nearly the same as, but other than that, what's the diff? Exactly!

Giles and Buffy told me that the funeral isn't really a funeral … there's no body. It's more like a memorial service or something – is there really a difference between them?

* * *

I walk into the church with Buffy and Giles – I'm not sure if Buffy even cares about anything to do with mum any more, but she holds my hand anyway. I don't even know who initiated the contact either. In the last few days, Giles has become less hermit-like, and now I think he might feel like he does belong in out family, instead of just as watcher capacity or something. Like I said, he is too English.

We walk up to the first set of seats – when I ask, Giles tells me that they're called pews, and I wonder why. Then I wonder why on earth I am worried about such a stupid thing. Then I realise that it's so I don't have to think about what today actually means, and why we're here. Willow, ox and Xander turn up and sit in the row behind us – they aren't allowed in the front, because that's reserved for my dad and grandparents, if they show up. I doubt it – ever since the divorce, dad's parents have had like no contact with us, and mum's parents died a few years after I was born, within a few weeks of each other I think.

Angel would also have been allowed to sit with us, but it's daylight – even if we did manage to get a late afternoon service – and also we're in a church, so he probably wouldn't feel comfortable. I'm sure he would be here if there was sewer access though – he really will do anything for Buffy, you know?

Everyone else starts to turn up, and I realise that I know, maybe a quarter of the people here; a quick look at Buffy's face tells me that she is thinking about the same thing as me. Well, maybe Giles can be the grown up at the end, and get rid of everyone – I didn't really want there to be a wake, and Buffy actually listened to me for once. I think, if it wasn't for Angel, she might not have made it through the week quite as she has – they're always together; they just never let the other walk around without them. I wouldn't be surprised if they started to go to the bathroom together now – that's how inseparable they are. It's pretty funny really.

I'm jerked back to reality, and I realise that because of where I chose to sit, I can't really see much. I decide it doesn't really matter, because I don't really want to remember any of this anyway.

Buffy goes up to speak. It sounds so … I dunno? Heartfelt. I never saw her write this. Oh. She didn't. This is all spur of the moment stuff. Wow.

Maybe she does care.

* * *

Suddenly, it's the end, and I really don't fancy going back 'home'. It doesn't really feel like home anymore, and I don't think Buffy will be home for ages. She says I can stay with Giles, and he quickly agrees, and takes me back to his place.

I think I'll have quite a nice time, considering the circumstances. He wont treat me like a really small child, because he treats me the same way as everyone else – a silly child who knows nothing of the English language or anything else for that matter.

I'll be fine.

As I go, I see Buffy sitting on the steps, and when she doesn't think I can still see her, I see her wipe her cheek with a sleeve.

Maybe she does care

* * *

Okay, it ended up longer than I thought it would … a nice surprise for you. 


	36. Two Days Later

Yeah, I had a problem with my Internet – that's why the last few chapters were all put up at once. It will probably happen a lot, because my connection is in no way reliable. Oh, and I'm skipping over Dawnie's b-day and calling her 13 now.

It had been two days since the service, and to Dawn's way of thinking, life was nearly back to about as normal as it was going to get. Angel had left for LA again the early hours of that morning (about three hours before sunrise, so he could do some work when he got home), and Buffy had started her patrolling again, and willow had finally stopped crying. Buffy hadn't gone back to school again, and neither had Dawn – she really didn't want everyone staring at her. Even Giles had said she could have at least a week more off, and she could go back when she felt ready. For some strange reason, he thought that she would actually want to go back to school, and would tell someone when that happened. In reality though, staying at home (at Giles' house) while Buffy and Giles talked about adult type things wasn't really much fun. There was no where to go and no one to go with during the day, and yeah, like Buffy would let her go _anywhere_ at night without her or Angel. In. Her. Dreams.

It had been two days since Buffy had let it all go. Angel had left just as soon as he felt he could leave her (it was becoming extremely difficult to be around each other again, and she was starting to understand why he'd left her in the first place). She was just starting to get back on track, with mostly Giles' help – she spent a huge amount of time at his place sorting out what to do now. He had offered to do it all at their house, but dawn really wasn't comfortable, and it didn't really bother Giles or Buffy where they did it. Willow was back at collage, and had finally stopped crying, or maybe that should be: willow had finally stopped crying, so she had gone back to collage! Dawn was staying off school for the time being, until she was over her mother's death enough to get through an entire school day full of semi-evil kids – kids really are the cruellest creatures of the night! Last night had been her first patrol for over a week, and she was beginning to feel like the slayer again. Strangely, it was a nice feeling – it gave her a bit more of a purpose.

Rupert Giles hadn't been quite prepared for the invasion of his house after the summers' girls lost their mother. Of course, he didn't mind, but it was a bit unexpected. The watcher's council had been right – he did have a father's love for his slayer, and that love had swiftly gotten through to dawn too. He had quickly re-assured the youngest that it was quite all right for her to stay off school for as long as she wanted; with the restrictions placed on her, she would soon long for school to see her mates again. Eventually, she would want to go to school again, and by then, she really would be able to face it. Buffy felt that she had far too much to do to go back to school for the time-being, and she wasn't sure how it would look to social services that she was looking after a thirteen-year-old, but still at university herself. Of course, if it ever did get to that, he was quite prepared to take official guardianship of dawn, and still allow the girls to be together.

It had been a few days, and both willow and Xander were feeling normal again. Oz was never really that bothered; save for it was someone he knew who had died that time. It was strange how Joyce was not one of them, and yet the Scooby gang just didn't function nearly as well without her. There was suddenly no one to go to and know there would be marshmallows awaiting, nobody to beg to do washing, because you couldn't afford it, and your mum would never let you go anywhere ever again if she knew you owned some of those clothes. Joyce had been like a surrogate mother to the whole gang, minus Angel, who she hated with a passion. But then, he stole her first-born's heart (figuratively, although, angelus had thought about it literally, much to everyone's disgust) and had yet to return it. Really, he never would – even if they did split up, both of them would still own the other, even when they were trying to say otherwise.

He had left Buffy just about as soon as he could. He just couldn't stand it anymore – that curse would be the death of him! Un life was so unfair. After her cry, Buffy had seemed a lot more at ease about the whole thing, and Angel felt that she would be fine without him. They told everyone else that he had to work on a case back in LA, but the two of them knew the truth. It was just too difficult. After their talk, Buffy had still not made up her mind, but he knew she was meant to be asking Giles for help at some point over the weekend – she was going to give dawn money and let her go out with some friends. It was amazing (she had become very overprotective of her baby sister). Maybe then he would have a clue what to do! When did life get just so complicated?


	37. In The Harsh Light Of Day

I would like to point out here that Buffy had not met parker – she hasn't been in school. Somehow, I'm sure I can fit him in if anyone wants to see him … I could even kill him convincingly, but I would like opinions on that. **Grins**.

This will be strange, and as usual, any concerns will be replied to. If, however, it's just a case of 'this didnt make sense' then i wont be repeating myself - any questions about what the hell is going on will be gladly answered though.

* * *

Dawn had just gone upstairs when willow and oz barged into Giles' place – she was staying over night so that Buffy could patrol, and truth be told, she still wasn't comfortable with being at home without Buffy there too. Willow was holding her neck, and oz actually had an expression on his face, which h was a sure sign that something was up. Sure enough,

"Dawn! Upstairs, now!"

God, she wasn't three! So what if she was a bit tired, and was thinking about asking if she could go back to school in the morning, which would mean waking up, like a lot earlier than usual? She was so annoyed at being left out all the time! Buffy got to do all the cool stuff!

* * *

Xander jumped at the chance to stop shelving and categorising Giles' stuff that wasn't Anya, not even caring that this meant that he would have to either do research or go in search of donuts, Buffy looked up from the papers she was sorting, and gave her full attention to her bleeding friend, and Giles stepped into full watcher mode, but Anya just stood in the corner, looking as if she didn't really know what to do with herself. The last time they had seen her, she had been running in terror, not believing that any of them would survive. Now that she found out that they all did, she didn't quite know what to do.

* * *

Xander and Anya wandered through the party, on the look out for anything strange – the Scoobies figured that harmony hadn't changed, and she would be at this party or at the bronze with her new 'boyfriend'. Willow and oz were checking there, and Buffy was doing a routine patrol, just in case.

* * *

"We saw her."

"And?"

"For once, she was telling the truth about her boyfriend, and I think …"

"It's Spike." After meeting back at Giles' apartment, it would seem that Anya wasn't feeling quite so out of place anymore.

"Alright, I think you've all done what you can – go on home to bed all of you, and I'll speak to you in the morning. Buffy, I believe dawn is still awake if you two wanted to get home, or you could leave her here with me – I certainly don't mind."

"I think we'll head home then Giles. Thanks for watching her."

"Well it is his job!"

As she passed Xander on her way upstairs to grab dawn, Buffy took the opportunity to thump her best male friend. It was a wonder his arms weren't' covered in bruises!

* * *

… Anya removed her clothes …

… "Fabric softener." …

* * *

"Dawn, it's okay if you don't wanna go in, you know. It's only been a few days, and it really would be alright for you to stay off school for a little bit longer."

"No, I want to. I need to get back to normal – prove to them that I'm not just a silly kid from LA."

"You aren't…"

"Bye, Buffy."

The slayer watcher her little sister walk inside, to what Buffy just knew would be her doom.

"Bye."

"Wow. That was pathetic." She didn't even see the first punch coming.

* * *

"We're not destroying it!"

* * *

"I have that gig in LA – I could swing by."

"Thanks, oz. I'll call Angel tonight and tell him. Ooh. I have to go pick up dawn, and tell her all is well on the spike front."

"He'll be back."

"He always seems to be – even when he swears he's never coming back, he always ends up here."

"Here is where the party's hoppin'"

"Did he really just say that?" Her only answers were grave nods from around the room.

* * *

I hope that wasn't too confusing. Anything not included in the story just stayed the same – I included the Anya/Xander bits just to let you know that that plotline still happened, even though it was them at the party. It might have gone down a little bit differently, but that basic stuff is all the same (minus Parker). 


	38. In The Dark

Back in LA the smae day (night)...

"Angel Investigations, how may I help you?"

"Hey, Cordy. Is Angel around? It's kinda important…"

"Everything I 'end-of-the-world' important with you two – you need to loosen up a little! Don't you eve have conversations about what colours you're going to wear to Saturday's party so that you can match?

"I'll take your silence as a 'no' then."

"Cor! Angel!"

"Oh! Right. He's not here – saving a girl from an ex, I think. Anything you want me to … why did Oz just walk in? Hey Oz! Hang on a minute, would you? Buffy? What's going on?"

"Just tell Angel to speak with me, and it's urgent but not as if the world's gonna end in a few days."

"Okay. Bye Buffy!"

Cordy turned round to see Doyle and Oz shaking hands. She made the introductions, and left them to it, finishing the filing that she had just started – Tina wasn't even there to help because she wasn't feeling too good.

* * *

"Hello?" 

"Dawn? Hey, is Buffy there?"

"Yeah, hang on a minute. BUFFY! PHONE! Hi Angel! How are you?"

Angel laughed into the phone; dawn really was beginning to act how he imagined his own sister acting in this time and place. Katherine always used to answer the door (even though it was the maid's job) to one of his drinking friends, yell for him, and then continue talking as if Liam's mate was one of her own friends, there for a tea party or some other such nonsense. He never really knew what they got up to, and he didn't think he ever wanted to know – it was possibly a good thing he could never have kids, as he would not be the best candidate for a teddy bear's picnic!

"I'm fine dawn, I just got back to the office, and Cordy told me your sister phoned earlier. How are you guys – I haven't seen you in, wow it must have been a whole 48 hours by now!

"Sarcasm is starting to suit you Angel! Be careful, or you might grow a sense of humour. Oh. Buffy's glaring at me – I should probably go and do the homework that she thought I was doing bye!" She said that all very fast, and then there was the sound of a phone being handed to someone else, presumably her older sister.

"Hello?"

"Buffy."

"Angel." It would seem that even on the phone, they couldn't break the habit of just saying each other's name.

"Dawnie's been spending far too much time with Xander – he's been a bad influence on her! She's meant to be on my side, not his!" Buffy tried desperately not to laugh, but when she heard Cordelia in the background not bothering, she gave up. It felt good to laugh anyway, and she hadn't in a while.

"Humpf. So is she back at school then? She said something about homework."

"Yeah, she went back today – got bored of having nothing to do I suppose."

"We knew it was inevitable."

"Yes, we did." He couldn't stand the small talk much longer.

"Cordy told me you phoned, and oz won't tell me why he's here until I've spoken to you. What's wrong, love?"

"Spike."

"What?" He was practically growling.

"Yep. He came back into Sunnydale, looking for the gem …

* * *

"Buffy filled me in. Thanks." 

She said she could get here because of Dawnie, and, really, it could have waited for the weekend, but oz still showed up. But those were words that didn't really need to be said – the two usually silent guys understood each other quite well enough without elaborate conversations.

"Gig."

And just like that, they had had a conversation, which could have taken their significant other up to thirty minutes to have – longer if they were feeling particularly 'shary' in Buffy's terminology.

"Are they always like this?" Clearly it would have taken Doyle longer too.

"No, we're usually laconic."

* * *

"Tina! I know you don't feel all that great, but we have to go – Doyle's place, right now. An old friend's on the war-march." 

The two women practically fled the apartment, after yelling out a goodbye to Dennis, who was somewhere inside, but other that that, who knew!

* * *

"You hired a vampire. What do you think he is going to do with the rings when he finds it, huh? Hand it over to you?" 

"Oh, good Lord, why didn't I think of … Oh, wait half a mo, I did. I hired a guy who doesn't care about the ring, or anything else on God's green earth except taking blokes apart one piece at a time. It's called addiction, Angel. We all have it – I believe yours is named Slutty the vampire Slayer."

Angel growled softly, and the music mercifully came to an end.

"Thank you! Speaking of little Buff, I ran into her recently. Your name didn't come up. Although she has been awful busy with her mum's death and all. She is cute when she is hurting, isn't she?"

"I think she's cuter when she's kicking your ass."

* * *

"Here!" 

"How did you do that?"

"You got to get lucky sometimes."

Cordelia kissed him once, as Tina looked on from the side, convinced that it was her who got them together in the end. Well, maybe it wasn't completely her doing, but she definitely helped – they might never have gotten together if she wasn't there!

"Now, come on we've got save Angel!"

"Right, by giving Spike exactly what he wants so he can kill us."

"Right! No, we need a plan."

* * *

"I can't wear this." 

"You can't mean – no! Angel man! This ring is your redemption! Besides, what happens if you're needed during the day? Just. Don't destroy it, okay."

"Alright. But what if … what if angelus comes back? I'll know where the ring is, and be indestructible!"

"I'll hide it for you if you want? I'll let everyone else know where it is, but not you – that way, if you need it, it's there, and if the worst should happen (which it won't by the way), then angelus won't know where it is either. Happy?"

"Thank you. Doyle."

* * *

"How is your mum?"

* * *

Hope you could follow all of that, if not, give me a shout. 

Sorry it took so long, I've been really busy with school, but holidays start on tuesday, so i might be able to update a few times really quickly. You shouldnt expect an update any time within the next week though ... maybe tomorrow coz it's my birhtday so i'm not going to do any work...


	39. Decisions

This is almost directly after chapter 37, in Sunnydale.

* * *

It was dawn's second day back at school, and she had just left the house when Buffy decided that she had to decide.

The house was huge with only two of them living there, and she couldn't afford to live there for more than a few months without getting a job. She couldn't work because of looking after dawn and slaying (even if it was meant to be a night job, she had found that most of her days were also filled with demon work), and really, she was talking about a proper adult full time job and not a three-day a week part time thing. She had only had two jobs in her entire life that weren't about slaying – babysitting her sister (which didn't really count because she was never paid) and that waitressing she did the summer before last.

She just could not afford for her and dawn to live as they had before their mother had passed away. Unless the council were willing to provide her with money for slaying, but she had quit the council now, so that option was out too. It was catch 22 – dammed if she did, dammed if she didn't. The only way to keep dawn with her was to become financially stable; the only way to do that would be to get real work and not some rubbish thing at a fast food restaurant – that wouldn't exactly pay the bills for a three bedroom house!

There hadn't been much insurance money for her and dawn – there was a fund for them both, but dawn couldn't get that money until she was 18, and, they weren't that desperate yet. Anyway, that would still only hold them down for up to a year before it got really bad.

Then there was college. She hadn't been to classes since her mother died and that was three weeks ago. She couldn't live there anymore, not while she had her sister to watch, so maybe she could get that money back. Buffy didn't even know if she should or could go back to school. Sure, she wanted to, but now … well it was a tough decision that. ultimately, was hers to make.

Once she had a rough idea, she would talk to Angel about it all, but it really wouldn't affect him, and it's not like he could help the situation any – unless he had some secret stash of money hidden, he still had to work for a living (…unliving…) and couldn't afford to help bail her out of this one. Besides, she didn't want him to help – she was a big girl and wanted to handle it herself.

What she really needed was Giles. Not Giles that watcher, but Giles, the man who was fired because he loved her. She needed a dad. Mum was gone, and she needed a parent. Besides, if they thought they were actually hiding their feelings for each other … well lets just say that even Xander had noticed the weirdness! She didn't think they would have ever acted on any of it, but Buffy knew it was still there – she found that out after that whole aspect of the demon thing, and what happened with that band candy.

* * *

You know what, I'm not even going to bother trying to carry on right now. I have so much school work that I'm actually surprised it isn't coming out of my ears literally, and it's three in the morning on a Sunday when I have to be up in five hours for church.

In response to Kelli (it was an anonomous review, so i can't reply to them:  
not entirely sure exactly what you mean. if you think that the last chapter was rubbish, you are right! it was, and i knew that when i posted it, but that chapter wasnt meant to be a good one, just to make sure people who have knowledge of the episodes don't get left wondering what has or hasn't happened. if you want more description and less speech, i suggest you read fanfic of a book, as the TV programs are based around script, and so are bound to have more speech in them. it would be brilliant if you could leave an email adress next time you want to critique, because then i can reply to you and not everyone else.

* * *

Obviously, it isn't anymore, but I wrote this about a week ago, and since then my Internet has been very dodgy, so that's why it is being posted now.

* * *

Happy Christmas everyone! I know this is VERY late, and I honestly meant to get it up, well a week ago, so yeah… I hope it's been a good one, and that this finds you and your loved ones well and happy. And yes I do know just how cheesy that sounds – I honestly mean it, because I have had one of the best Christmas days hat I can remember – including the one spent in an almost empty children's ward five years ago – that actually was fun by the way, I'm not just saying it! 


	40. Giles

I want a proper geek to be in this so I can put some more StarTrek related stuff in … can I replace riley with a sci-fi geek or would somebody axe-murder me? Just interested. How many of you actually read these author's notes anyway? I don't often bother, so I really don't know why I type them. Oh yeah – it's normally one or two in the morning when I'm far too awake to be normal. Maybe I should be the next slayer – I keep the hours anyway … on with the story! Not that it's going very fast anywhere.

* * *

"Giles? Hello?" Buffy finally got bored of waiting for him to answer the door, and let herself in – if he wasn't in, he was either missing or unconscious. That's where he always was when not in the library or home, and the library was no longer there, so therefore, either he was home, missing or unconscious, possibly two of the above – it had been know to happen.

When she barged into the living area, her fears were proved correct, as Giles lay on the sofa with an empty glass of something, wearing clothes from yesterday and a spill on the floor. Something told Buffy (mostly the loud snores coming from the man she would never have pegged to end up like this at ten on a week day morning) that Giles had had a _leeettle _too much to drink last night, and fallen unconscious way before he had time to finish whatever it was that he had been drinking.

At least he wasn't unconscious because of slaying this time – he had almost become as predictable as StarTrek, how Xander had said you can tell how long someone had to live just by what colour uniform they had on, how many lines they had and where they were at that moment in time (something about red-shirts and away missions with dark shadow monsters, she wasn't really listening). She always forgot just how geeky her friend was until he came out with that kind of stuff.

She sighed and started to clear up – she may not have had the terrible home life faith had had ('don't think about faith, don't think about it'), but her father had been drunk enough times when her mum just couldn't deal with him, and she had learnt very quickly what to do after a night drinking. Lots of fluid, painkillers and no loud noise. Well, that's all she used to do for Hank at any rate. It couldn't hurt Giles, and she had nothing else to do! By the time she had finished, and the room was looking clean again (yes, she did know how to do housework, she wasn't just a dumb blonde), her ex-watcher was beginning to stir.

"Buffy? What are you – what am I – what's going on?"

"I'm gonna guess that you passed out last night before you made it to bed, and when I came in this morning, I started to clean up."

"Thank you, Buffy."

"S'all good. Now, drink this, take this, have a shower, shave and all that, and then come back downstairs when you aren't quite as hung over – I need you."

"Well, if there's a new demon in town, I should get right on it, and not wai –"

"Giles. Chill, breathe. Nothing terrible is going one, I just need a little bit of help."

* * *

I am so sorry this was so late! I have had so much schoolwork, and then lost Internet and then got loads more work, and it's all just a big mess. I now have a kind of routine so I can probably write a bit of a chapter every day, and I hope to get another one up soon. Also sorry that this is so short. I just really wanted to get Giles good and drunk, and now need a good reason for it. Any suggestions? 


	41. Dad

Giles had cleaned himself up while Buffy cleaned the kitchen for lack of any thing else to do. She was nearly as comfortable in his house as she was at home, but nothing compared to the feeling when at Angel's apartment. They might not be able to do anything together, but it still felt like home to her. When Giles came downstairs wearing fresh clothes and a nice smell, she abandoned the last of the washing up and came to sit on the sofa with him, a cup of tea for the man in one hand and a plate of biscuits for herself in the other. They were all for her – he couldn't have any because he was a grown up, she reasoned.

"Now, what is it that you need my help for, Buffy?"

"Well, it's just basic life stuff really. Stuff that" she halted for a moment, "Mum would have done, but …"

"I understand. What is it you need?"

"Well, I can't afford to keep us in that house anymore, and any job that I get just wouldn't pay for it – we have an extra bedroom now anyway. I still have college to pay for, even though I clearly can't stay on campus anymore, and I don't even know if I can get that money back, and … Giles! Help me!"

The man in question sighed deeply. He wished she didn't have to go through this, he really did. Wasn't it enough that this innocent girl had to be more grown up than she should already, to add insult to injury, now she had to be financially stable to look after a teenager. Life was just not fair. But then, they knew that already.

"Buffy, I am not for one moment suggesting that you are incapable of looking after dawn, but perhaps it would be best if she stayed with me? You can sell your house and put your things in storage – use the mansion perhaps, I know angelus bought it – and then you wont lose the money from school, and will still be able to look out for dawn, and in my eyes you would still be responsible for her – I would just be babysitting semi-permanently until a better solution can found."

"For real?"

"For real. Why don't you discuss this with dawn today, when she returns hom from school, and then we'll talk again."

Buffy stood and practically leapt at him.

"Thank you … Dad."

* * *

This is too short even for me, but I just wanted to get all of it out of the way. Now, hopefully, I can get on with the actual story. I'm going to replace chapter 39 too, and do it a bit differently, but that is a thing on the side, so might never actually get done. 


	42. Fear, Itself

The gang was sitting in Xander's basement, cutting huge holes in pumpkins and generally hanging out with each other. Buffy hadn't really spent much time with them since the accident, and now that she was settled with her choices, she felt that she deserved a little down time.

Dawn was moving into her new room at Giles' within the next few weeks, and for now, she and Buffy were sharing it while Buffy got everything else sorted out. She was selling the house and dealing with everything that went with it, plus slaying and looking for a simple job to do on the side. She had decided to skip this semester of school and was renting out her bed (with Willow's permission) to some random student who was having problems finding housing and just wanted to get away from her parents. Buffy could help by feel a slight bit of jealousy that she had parents to want to get away from.

She had called Giles 'dad' only that once, but had thought about it more, and she knew Dawn was going to ask him if he minded. She felt that she was weird enough at school, living first with her older sister and then with 'some random bloke', so if she felt she could refer to Giles as her dad, it might alleviate some of that pressure from the other kids to be normal.

Everything really did seem normal again – she was slaying and seeing her friends, she spoke to Angel once every two or three days, and emailed him whenever she was near a free Internet line. Life was as good as it was gonna get.

* * *

"You sure it's alright? I can cancel and come with you if you wanted?" 

"Buffy! I'll be fine. There's a bunch of us going together, and Giles knows where we're going and there'll be a few mums with us I think, and besides, you know vampires don't come out to play on Halloween."

"They did once."

"Yes, but I was wonder girl that night. I could protect myself, 'specially as they were all after you!"

"Alright then. Just. Be careful, okay? And watch out for Giles' head gear."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand when you go downstairs."

* * *

"Umm. Professor walsh?" 

"Yes."

"I just wanted to let you know that I really do want to be here, it's just, well there are personal reasons, but I would like to come back after thanksgiving, if that's alright?"

"Right. I count four limbs, a head no visible scarring, so I assume your personal issue wasn't a life threatening accident of any kind, I'm therefore uninterested. You got problems, solve them on your own time. Miss another class and you're out."

"It's my mum actually. She died."

"I am sorry, Miss Summers. That, however, does not explain your continued absence from my classes."

"I have to look after my sister, and sell the house, and. Personal reasons ma'am."

"Keep up and we'll see after Christmas."

"Thank you."

* * *

"She means it, you know." 

"Yeah. I got the impression she wasn't saying it to make me laugh."

"I may be out of line here, and it's not really my business, but - you seem like the kind of person that makes things really hard on themselves. Halloween isn't a night for responsibility. It's when the ghosts and goblins come out."

"That's actually a misnomer."

"Well, I didn't mean real ones." Buffy smiled and looked down. "But, hey, there is some good scary fun to be had on campus tonight."

"Well, I'm not exactly on campus right now, but yeah. What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm going to sit here and grade papers."

* * *

"So, so much for uneventful Halloweens!" 

"At least Dawnie brought us lots of chocolates."

"Xander!"

"Is food all you think about?"

"Well, actually … no … I think about … other stuff."

"Oh God. I did not want that mental image."

* * *

Hi. I know people want to see more of Angel, but at the moment, Buffy season 4 is on TV, so it's easier to write! I have the transcripts of the Angel episodes on my computer somewhere, but it is so much easier to write stuff when it's on the TV - I'm too cheap to buy them ... keep reading, he'll be back. 


	43. Beer Bad

"Hi Angel! No, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to talk. Well, I haven't quite got round to that yet, but … oh, right. Okay then, I'll see you at the weekend? Next week then. I love you, Angel."

"Rough day?"

"XANDER!"

"What?"

"Stop … flicking me."

"Sorry."

* * *

"Buffy?"

"Giles. What are you doing in my house? And my room?"

"This is my house Buffy, and you're on the sofa."

"Oh. I wondered why it was more lumpy than usual.

"I like TV. TV is a good thing. Bright colours. Music. Tiny little people."

"Buffy?"

"I'm suffering the afterness of a bad night of badness."

"Demons?"

"Beer. I went to see Xander, and then came the guys and then came the beer."

"Guys?"

"Four really smart guys, but I like Angel better."

"Good. I think."

* * *

"Giles! Is Buffy here?"

"She should be upstairs, why?"

"Well … you see, I sort of served her evil beer."

* * *

"Fire Bad."

* * *

"So what have learned from this, Buffy?"

"We have learned that beer is not good, and Dawn should stay away from it for the rest of her VERY LONG natural life."

"Hey! Just because you had a bad experience …"

"Listen to your sister."

"Great, now they're all ganging up on me."


	44. Wild at Heart

This is just before Oz starts packing right at the end. I'm really sorry about the entire lack of updates and storyness - school gets a bit hectic sometimes, and stuff. I do have some stuff planned to do with angel, spike and the inititive although not necassarily all together. I hve NOT forgotten about angel, it's important in the long run of the story that he's been not around at all, and you have to remeber that both buffy and angel have 'normal' lives and 'night' lives if you know what i mean. plus, with dawn and joyce and money problems and everything, life isnt a picnic, and i assure you that i am BA all the way.

* * *

"Hi, Cordy? It's Oz. I need to talk to Angel. No, it's not about Buffy." 

"Oz?"

"Yeah. I. Well I wanted to know. What were you thinking when you left Buffy?"

* * *

"Thanks, man. Thanks a lot." 

Oz hung up and sat on his bed. It really had helped talking to Angel about his 'furry problem' and now he knew what he had to do, or rather what he didn't have to do. If a vampire could work through the problems he had every day, Oz could get through them three times a month. Who knew, maybe he could find a way to defeat it while he was still home and with willow. He just hoped she would forgive him.

"Hi." Speak of the devil.

* * *

"So, you're fine again?" 

"Well, we talked, and then we didn't, and then we talked some more, and yeah, were fine. Oz said he was going to leave, but then he spoke to Angel, and he changed his mind, so thank Angel next time you see him?"

"Will do. And at the rate we're going, it'll be past thanksgiving before that happens."

"Not good?"

"Well, more like a mixed blessing. He has lots of business, so that's good, but that means that isn't with me. And I'm still busy with everything over here, and Dawn is still getting settled."

"But you miss him."

"More than anything."


	45. Willow on the Warpath pt 1

"Hey, you're Tina, right? Hi, I'm Willow – Buffy's friend. Is Angel around? I don't care if he's asleep or not."

"Yeah – I think he's training downstairs actually – he's been up for an hour or so now."

"Damn – I wanted to wake him up for this! Life can be so unfair sometimes."

"Erm. Yes, I s'pose so. What did you want to talk to him about?"

"Buffy, mostly, but I also wanted to thank him for talking to my boyfriend for me – Oz is a werewolf and Angel helped him through something. He … well, he was going to leave to protect me from himself (sort of how Angel left Buffy) but the resident vampire stopped him. Well, not exactly stopped, but talked to him a bit. I'm rambling aren't I …"

She trailed off, seeing the confusion on Tina's face. Clearly there was an information overload, and after all, it wasn't likely that Tina had ever heard of willow, le alone been subjected to a ramble, willow style.

"It's not that … it's just … I'm surprised they're capable of _having_ a conversation – neither of them are exactly the most talkative of people, are they!"

"I think they have their own special 'stoic creature of the night' language. They can do a ten minute convo in no more than three words – still working out the holes in that one." They both laughed, and then willow remembered why she was here in the first place, and left Tina to her paperwork and headed downstairs to meet Angel.

And so that Angel could meet his doom.

Well, not really, but Willow was pretty upset with him, and her best friend's welfare was at stake here …

* * *

For anyone who hasn't read my profile, I thought I had better make it clear that this story is not by any means abandonned!! I have exams coming up, so although I wanted to get this one done before today (HAPPY EASTER) and to let you all know that I will carry one and finish this thing after 8th June, which is my Physics exam - the last one. Then I go back to school like normal ... 


	46. Willow on the Warpath pt 2

I am so sorry about how long this took, but I finally got around to it and could put this up ... you might want to re-read the previous chapter - it's been a long time.

* * *

"ANGEL!" 

"Yes?" Willow was looking as scary as she had done all those months ago when he and Buffy first got back together, and that look promised a large plate of stake with a side order of holy water and sunlight. It wasn't so much that he was scared of a little girl, because really that's what she was, but that said little girl was quite a powerful witch and was loved by a lot of people who could and would kick his arse. He didn't know what he had done wrong, but whatever it was, he really needed to fix it before he next went to Sunnydale.

"You know how I said if you ever hurt Buffy, I would hurt you?" It got worse, she speaking in a really friendly voice, her 'resolve' face on, a hard look in her eyes and her hand drifting to the lid of a water bottle she had with her.

"Yes?" That was probably the safest answer. He still didn't really know what was wrong, but it was better safe than sorry and dust. He hadn't done anything wrong in any event. When had he had time to do anything wrong?!

"Well, Buffy's hurting, and you aren't. Yet."

"What's wrong with Buffy? What happened? Is she OK? **CORDY, HOW LONG 'TILL SUNSET**?"

"**ABOUT AN HOUR**!" Tina yelled back down the stairs. When they were working up there and he was awake downstairs, they kept the doors open so Angel and mostly Cordy could yell at each other. It was quite easy, because Angel could shout at the right pitch to carry, and Cordy (or anyone else) didn't have to shout loudly for his vampire hearing to pick up.

"Right, I can be in Sunnydale in less than three hours, will she be alright until then? Willow?"

"You honestly don't know, do you! You don't know what's wrong or why!"

"NO! And I don't really care, if she needs me, I'll be as quick as I can. If it weren't rush hour, I would be there faster, but as it is …"

"Angel, she's hurting because you're ignoring her, she thought … she thought you might have changed your mind and be leaving for good … again."

"What? How could she ever think that? I love her, and as long as there's breath in her body and even longer I will love her."

"Well, you haven't been around much, and then with the not answering of phones, and being short with her … what was she supposed to think, mister? So if there's any funny business going on, you tell me right now, and I'll let you get to know my holy water very well."

"I cannot believe you carry holy water around with you. In the daylight."

"Well, it's not like I have super strength like either of you two, and well, better safe than sorry. Stop avoiding the issue. You've been distant, and it's hurting my friend, and now I get to hurt you."

"Willow! How can you event think such a thing? I have not been ignoring her, I could never ignore Buffy even if I wanted to – she is everything to me."

"Then where have you been for the last goodness knows how long? Every time she tries to ring you, Cordelia says you can't talk – you're busy or out or asleep or doing heaven only knows what else."

"Willow! I run a 'detective agency', I fight demons same as Buffy and I'm trying to do the right thing and follow my destiny, whatever that may be! For the last few weeks, it's been difficult to see each other, yes, but that does not mean I could ever stop loving her, or EVER, EVER see someone else while dating her. Even as a drunk lie about 200 years ago I never saw two people at the same time."

"Fine. You get one more chance.

"Now, I'm going shopping with Oz, and you're going to see your girlfriend as soon as possible. You got it?"

"I got it. Say hi to Oz, and tell him 'good', too. He'll know what I mean."

"Will do. I will see you in Sunnydale this week end, wont I."

"As far as I'm concerned, yes. If Doyle has a vision, though… I'm sorry but I can't make that promise. I will do my best, though."

"For now, that's good enough for me."


	47. Blonds Can Think?

Buffy was on her bed at Giles' house, which she was slowly starting to call 'home' (although only in her head), just thinking. Last night, the vampires had been especially active, and she had been actively slaying until four in the morning. By the time she had walked back to Giles', slaying more as she went – only fledglings, but still – it was only an hour before Dawnie had to get up for school. Taking advantage of the kitchen and bathroom being free (Giles hadn't quite got the hang of the school run just yet), she ate and showered before Dawn came out of the bedroom and she could crash. Buffy thought she had communicated something along the lines of 'long night – sleepy' to her younger sister, but you never could be too sure. Either way, eight hours later, she was awake, and not yet moving. At least Giles had left her to sleep.

The old house at Revello Drive had been sold, all the old furniture in storage at the mansion. It was strange to think about how fast it had all gone; in actual fact, the house had been snapped up incredibly quickly, and as there was no chain of buyers, Buffy thought the new owners were moving in the next week. She made a mental note to warn them about Sunnydale, making up a story of once having a slightly psycho boyfriend who may have told his friends about her. Well, they had bought the house now; it wasn't like she would be sold it back again if they moved out…

If all things went to plan, she would be going back to school in January, and Dawn would live with Giles permanently. Well, as permanent as three years was in any case – once Buffy was done with college **and** could support them both, Dawn could live with Buffy again. Until then, though, they both had somewhere to stay whenever they needed it, and a place with a man they both loved. If things were different, and there was no such thing as vampires or slayers, Buffy would take her sister to LA and move in with Angel, but things weren't different, and she couldn't.

Her thoughts roamed to her wayward boyfriend. It seemed like such a juvenile word, boyfriend. They were far more than that – he loved her after hundreds of years of hell; that had to couldn't for something, right? And the life that they led, well, anyone would be more mature after that kind of life and realise just how precious life is. Not many kids her age would be able to meet a guy at sixteen, and still be dating him nearly three years later. Angel was …

"What are you thinking about?"

"You." She wasn't even surprised at his entry. He and Giles had long since put aside their differences, and now, Giles only hated him in the same way all fathers hate their baby girl's boyfriend. They had it good, 'specially as he was a cradle-robbing-creature-of-the-night boyfriend. She sensed him as soon as he was near, and he knew that, he revelled in it. They could never hide from each other unless the snuck upon was actively trying to ignore the sneaker. She turned to face him; sideways under the covers she hadn't bothered to get out of (they were way to comfortable).

"How'd you get here now? Unless I've lost a few hours of today, it's not even sunset yet…" she couldn't really tell, because of the thick curtains in the room blocking any and all light "so unless you've been camping out since last night … this morning, and the used the sewers when you felt like actually saying 'hi'…"

"Oz drove me in the van, stopped really close, and I've had lots of practice in using a coat to hide from the sun."

And then, quite suddenly, she was in his arms and not in her bed. Clearly, she had gravitated towards her boyfriend, but it wasn't quite clear how she got there as fast as she did – she blamed on Slayer speed. Well, it was as good as excuse as any.

"I've missed you."


	48. Angel Kisses

"I've missed you." Buffy turned her face up in his arms for a kiss, for once, ignoring the embarrassment of being caught in 'Tom and Jerry" pyjamas by her gorgeous vampire boyfriend in favour of Angel kisses. She really would do anything for them – and really, who wouldn't? Apart from Giles, Xander, Spike and a few others…well, the first two at least, she wasn't really sure what might have happened between Angelus and William the Bloody back in the day. They did seem to hate each other more than she thought was normal or customary. Either there was something there, or one of them stole the other's girl, or both.

"I love you, and I missed you too. I am, so sorry we haven't seen or spoken to each other in so long. I love you so much, you do know that, right?"

"Yes. Wait, Oz? What was Oz doing in LA?"

"Umm. Willow was there?"

"Doing what that meant you got a lift back here?"

"Being your best friend…"

"And?"

"WellWillowwasreallyupsetwithmebecauseshethoughtIhadbeencheatingonyoubecauseIhadn'tspokentoyouinsolongsosheyelledatmeandnowI'mhere."

"What? Honey, you need to speak slower, and wait a minute. Since when do you talk fast and quite and mumble and … oh God! What's the matter?"

"I told you – Willow was really up set with me because she thought I had been cheating on you because I hadn't spoken to you in so long so she yelled at me and now I'm here."

"You're only here because Willow yelled at you?"

He started to shuffle around nervously on the balls of his feet. The mighty Angelus, afraid of an 18-year-old girl – if only his old enemies could see him now. Holtz perhaps. He always did have a good sense of humour…

"Willow? Red hair, about this tall, would squeak at a mouse? My best friend Willow? You are joking, aren't you? And why are you here just because Willow told you to be here? You should come to Sunnydale to either stop some big evil, or to see me (which you should do when you come here to stop said big evil) – not because Willow told you to!"

Was it so much to ask, really? Angel was _her_ boyfriend, and she wanted him to want to see her, not to feel like he had to or it was just another duty, another job he felt was necessary. He always used to love seeing her! Back in high school, he walked her home after patrol (if she wasn't sleeping at the mansion in the first place) and he would sit on the tree outside, waiting for her to go through the front door make a noise to let her mum know she was safe at home. The, once Buffy was in her room and 'going to sleep' he came through the now open window. Once, Angel even stayed there all night, with his girl wrapped in his arms safe in her own bed, only even _trying _to leave once he was sure she was safe and asleep – he ended up having to wake the slayer up so she would let go of him arm before sunrise.

The point was, that Angel should always want to see her; she always wanted, needed to see him. Every time she tried to schedule a time to come visit, he said it wouldn't be a good time, or some big bad came to Sunnydale. Life (and unlife) just was not fair to Buffy and her cradle-robbing-creature-of-the-night boyfriend.

"Buffy! I always want to see you – your picture is the only one I have in my apartment for goodness sake! Lately…everything has been out of control, and I just couldn't get here. I … well I didn't want you to travel all the way to LA just to be the slayer still – you get enough of the at home without having to go 200 miles down the road to do the same!"

"LA isn't that far away …"

"I know. That isn't the point."

"I know. But. That's who we are, Angel. I can't escape the demons and the dark any more than you can! I don't think I would be able to even if I had that choice. You know – to know all that's out there and not be able to do a thing about it…that would be Hell for me. Whatever though, back to Willow."

"Well, I hadn't really realised anything was wrong, I thought you knew I wasn't just avoiding you or anything, I didn't –"

Clearly it didn't matter nearly as much as Buffy getting her Angel kisses.


	49. Normal Couple Things

Dawn was out with a friend (either Janice or Tim, Buffy couldn't remember who) and Giles was out meeting someone or doing whatever it was that Giles did whenever they weren't around to annoy him, so Buffy and Angel had the house to themselves to … talk. Well, it wasn't like they could do anything inappropriate anyway, what with the curse being what it was. 'I really need to get that looked at.' Buffy considered it only as a minor problem in the background, lying on top of her boyfriend. Although she was now fully dressed, and the two were downstairs on the sofa, the positions from about an hour ago hadn't really changed much.

They were no longer making out on her bed, yes, but really, what does a bed do that a sofa can't? Sometimes, you can even have a more comfortable sofa to sleep on than the actual bed, and if anyone – say Dawn, for example – were to charge in, they would have an alibi of a poetry book sitting innocently on the table.

Not everyone, but certainly Dawn, knew how much Buffy loved to be read to – it didn't matter what it was, what language or whom was reading (obviously though Angel was the best reader by far) – Buffy just loved to be read to. It wasn't so much the actual reading, rather the quite murmuring of someone she loved, not talking at her, to her or about her. Just talking. Her father used to read to her when she was little, it could be anything, and she would listen – she learned to read before school started because of it.

She would never let Giles know, but a book was the one place she could be herself, just Buffy. In reading a book, the slayer became lost in the pages, and only Buffy, the smart, funny, popular girl she had once been, would remain. She used to read anything and everything, but since finding out her sacred duty, Buffy had left the fantasy/horror types alone – they were too much like real life for her liking. She hadn't read nearly as much since going to Sunnydale – when had she had the time? And schoolwork – well it wasn't like it really mattered in the end, was it?

Most slayers died before their 18th birthday, many others before their 19th. None had lived to see 20. As it was she was one of the oldest slayers on record – slaying for nearly four years. Most girls lasted two, at a maximum, four. Buffy didn't know how long she counted for – until her first death or … well her second. If she was only the real slayer until Kendra was called, then she had only really lasted for one and a half years. If not, she was nearly at four. Come to think of it, what did Faith count as? She went evil – is she still a slayer, even in a coma and on the wrong side…

Faith. Now there's a person she hadn't thought of in a while, 'and one to get back to at some point when I'm not on top of Angel' she thought. 'Now there's a wide range of thoughts', again, thinking far too much given the activity she was involved in.

They had caught up with each other, and planned to spend as long as possible just being together. If interrupted by any of Buffy's friends, they would then head to the bronze, Giles meant patrol, and Dawn … well she was only a minor set back. An excuse of patrol would work, followed by a trip to the mansion.

Angel told her all about the demon after Doyle (the favour for getting Cordy somewhere to live was now repaid), a stalker who could literally fall a part on you, the case he had just cleared up involving some police people (something to do with the woman he met earlier in LA and a pogo stick that made you cry. She didn't want to know anything more than that) as well as many other escapades, routine but still interesting … sort of. There was a slime demon living in some old lady's toilet and a ritual sacrifice just in the last month. It was just sad that as much business as they had had, Angel Investigations just wasn't getting enough paid jobs. Working for TPTB was all very well, but it just didn't pay the bills.

In return, Buffy rambled on about the goings on in Sunnydale, her thoughts for the future with collage and Dawn, and just general Buffyisms. Since the whole Oz thing nothing major had happened, normal vamps, a few wandering demons and some strange sightings of commando guys, but for Sunnydale, everything was normal and going well.

That afternoon had been spent doing all the things a normal couple their-her age should have been able to do – talk about everything and nothing. They had done all the things they would have done before her seventeenth birthday; talked, kissed, snuggled. For the first time since Angel had come back into her life, she didn't think about the curse on her boyfriend and what it prevented. They had a tough road, but the potholes were beginning to repair themselves.


	50. Dad? Daughter?

Meanwhile:

Spike was laying on the floor of a sanitary hospital white chamber, mumbling as he drifted towards consciousness.

"Slayer... I'll kill you. Not so tough. I... Kill slayer."

Back in Gotham City… (not really, we're only at Giles' place, but it's late and I'm hyper and I have to go to school tomorrow)

"So we're sure they're human?"

"Who's human? Ooh! Is there a baddie? Can I help?"

"NO!"

"NO!"

"Sure, why not little girl." Anya stopped as she saw the look on Giles' face. "What?"

"That 'little girl', Ayanka, is my daughter, and she will no–"

"Really? You think I'm your daughter? Do you mean it?"

"I…that is to say that…well…"

"I love you, dad."

"… and then, she was all, 'I'll get for this, slayer', but then I dusted her and went to the bronze to see Will and Oz. Hey! You're back…everybody. Why is everybody back?"

Buffy and Angel were side by side on the sofa by the time that Giles, Dawn, Xander and Anya walked through the door (super hearing was fantastic, really, they would make so much by selling that kind of aspect of the demon!), deep into another epic tale of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.

"Angel! Hi!! How come you haven't been to see me in ages? I missed you!"

"Dawnie. Hi kiddo – I've been busy with work and your sister's been busy when I haven't, but I'm sticking around for a little bit, and then how about you come visit me one weekend? You can even bring Buffy along too if you want." He winked at the teen and gave her a hug.

That summer, Dawn had almost permanently attached herself to Angel whenever he was around, and even though she was thirteen and deemed herself an adult, she figured that it wasn't too childish to hug her sister's boyfriend when she could. I mean, he was no Xander, but still. Xander knew how to have a good laugh, and Dawn really liked him the best out of Buffy's friends, but Angel saved her life, and was really good with history homework. That counted for something in Dawn's life.

"Angel hasn't seen you in ages because he decided that he doesn't want to be with Buffy anymore, right Xander?"

"XANDER!!"

"Anya!"

"XANDER!!"

"I said no such thing. Okay, maybe I did. I was only joking. Okay, maybe I wasn't, but we were all thinking it, Dead-boy."

"My God, Xander! How childish can you get? You said in September that you would at least try and be friendly. Dawn, Xander didn't mean it, he was just joking, because _he thinks he's funny_ but he's not."

"Really? You aren't going again, are you Angel?"

"Of course not, brat. I told you I was staying, and I am – no matter what Alexander may think."

"Be that as it may, we should really focus on the problem at hand. As I was saying outside, these military people do seem to be just that – military. They appear to be humans, using technology and messing with forces they know nothing about."

"Plus. I er. Spike's back from wherever he went."

"What?"

"Well, that's what Harmony said. We got into a bit of a fight, bit I think I came out on top. Ow!"

"Serves you right. You're mine, and you shouldn't be talking about another woman like that!"

"Anya, sweetie, harmony is a Vampire, and I meant 'on top' figuratively, not literally."

"Well. That's okay then."

"Angel? I'm bored. Can you help me with my history homework?"

"Sure, Munchkin."

"I'm not that little."

"You're still the smallest one here, Dawnie; even if you are catching me up fast."

"I love you, even if you are short. OW!"

Dawn just giggled and pulled the unresisting vampire up to her (and Buffy's) room to help her with that homework.

"Oh. By the way, Buffy, Da-Giles? It's parent-teacher night next week. Don't plan an apocalypse, okay?"

"Dawn!"

Well, it's longer than usually, even if not much happens… that counts for something doesn't it? Sorry, but until pangs and IWRY, it's mostly filler that kinda has to be there…


	51. The Search for Spike

Well, it's been over a year since I admitted the end and now I'm going to be attempting to finish this story soon – it's NaNo so I want to finish off my WiPs – this one first just because it's annoying me. I have ~ 3000 words plus two fully formed chapters at the moment. The extra words wont be posted just yet because they go at the end…I have to get there from here though and that's where I have the problems. This is the first of the chapters, you get the next one soon – jut finishing it off.

You might want to re-read what came before this....

I think I could have done better with this, but it's getting to the point where I just have to get it out there and can think about improving at a much later date! Let me know if you have any ideas…

* * *

"Great! As if Spike weren't enough, now it's parent's evening too. I hate my life sometimes you know. And what is wrong with him? Doesn't Spike get that this is my town?"

"He's resilient, I'll give him that."

"And it's my night off." She pouted at both her surrogate father and brother. "I had plans. With Angel - who I don't get to see very often because of the whole 'chosen' thing as it is! Please excuse me if I don't want to spend the one night in a long time that I can actually be with my boyfriend fighting the forces of darkness that no one else can be bothered to fight!"

"Buffy." Angel came back downstairs after hearing the news. "He's here for you - you'll be his main target."

"Fine. You know what? He's worn out his welcome. Tonight, I kill him. If Spike wants me, I go alone... No arguments. Lead him away from the popular places and give him what he wants.

"Wait, wait! Just, ... take this."

"A flare gun? Xander, if I find spike, I'm staking him, not signaling ships at sea."

"You get into trouble... "

"Ok. I'll flare." she left quickly, glancing back to give Angel one more look. They would get their evening even if she had to cut her date with Spike short and be a little bit more reckless.

"Do you think Spike'll find her?"

"I'm sure of it." The older two men were in unison as Angel made his way back up to help Dawn. Spike wouldn't fight Buffy with Angel right there. She was on her own, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

A while later, Buffy wandered through the empty graveyards of Sunnydale just waiting for Spike to find her, when she realised she was doing it all wrong. Last time he had seen her, she was at the campus, and Spike would know all about the slayer being at college, but not necessary about her break from it. He would be looking for her on the campus - especially as he would think it was a surprise visit.

She began to wander around the campus, re-familiarising herself with the dark pathways before finding a space where she could easily hear a cry for help and also lead a fight to. Buffy sat on a bench, no longer Buffy the exstudent but Buffy: the vampire slayer. All was silent for a good ten minutes as she waited for any sign of life from the grounds.

She froze and looked around the bench slowly, carefully. What was that sound? A twig snapped once more. Someone or something was coming towards her. Someone tall but not Spike, not someone trying to be quiet.

Turning again, she breathed a silent sigh of relief. It was the TA from the psychology class. Riley?

"Hey!" OK, so that put a spanner in the works a little bit then-he was going to be right in the way of everything here!

"Riley! What are you doing here? It is Riley, right? I'm always worried about getting names horribly wrong... Um... You know, I don't want you taking this the wrong way... It's just, um... I need a little alone time now... Alone."

"Why?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I need space."

"We're outdoors."

"Emotionally."

"You know, there's plenty of space back ... Wherever you're living now. Why don't I take you? You wouldn't believe the weirdoes out at this hour."


	52. Week's End

The rest of the episode follows as it did.

Buffy brought the twice shaken Willow back to Giles' house; first Spike and now these army guys were back. Sure they lived on a Hellmouth but this was just ridicules! Hell could just give it a rest for a while once every so often!

Once the impromptu Scooby meeting was over, Buffy and Angel could finally get back to their weekend only to find themselves continually interrupted by both Dawn and Giles. Resigned to their fate, the now fairly annoyed couple left the house for a quick patrol before Angel dropped Buffy back at Giles' house - she still wasn't quite comfortable calling it her house. Besides, she would only be there until just after Christmas and then would be back at the university with Willow. It would be hard work, but possible to get back on track. And she had three people to help her get through it.

In the here and now however, she could focus on her recently absent boyfriend. Angel had gone back to his old mansion, choosing to stay there by himself instead of attempting to persuade Giles otherwise. Giles may have known that sex was out of the question, but Buffy was practically his daughter and Angel really didn't want to get on his bad side!

They were able to spend the rest of the weekend together just like they used to before life became so much more complicated. The couple hunted demons between makeout sessions and snuggled on a sofa afterwards. Just for three days, real life took a back seat to everything else.

Angel Investigations was slowly getting there and Cordelia was even beginning to show signs of becoming a half decent filer. Buffy was able to start feeling better about going back to school after Christmas - Dawn would be happy and taken care of and not too far away for comfort.

All too soon it was Sunday evening. They had time for one last patrol together before Angel headed back to LA.

I'm not really too happy with this, but it will have to do…HELP!!


	53. The Bachelor Party

"So you'll never guess what _you_ missed this weekend. No, don't even try – I'll tell you: DOYLE'S WIFE TURNED UP!!"

"Hi Cordelia – Sunnydale's just fine thanks. Spike has decided to come back yet again and there are some strange military types who think they can hunt demons, but other than that, all is well. How was your weekend?"

"Fine thank you, except for the fact that (as I've already told you), DOYLE'S WIFE TURNED UP and he hadn't even told me he was married and separated from her.

"But you know, she was here to ask for a divorce and his blessing to marry another guy…I'm just gonna let him stew over that fact that he didn't tell me."

"Where is he now then? Sulking?"

"Nah, he's stalking the new guy – Richard – to make sure 'Harry' is in good hands. It's supposed to be over! He shouldn't care about her anymore – what about me? Do I just not matter or something?"

Doyle walked in about a second later covered in bruises and a few shallow cuts.

"Oh my God! Doyle, what happened? Are you alright? I'll get some ice for you… just sit down and don't move!"

"So she does still like me then. Angel – how was Sunnydale?"

"Good. How was Harry?"

"Not so pleased to see me I can tell you. This new guy – demon! Says he's peaceful, but I don't know about that. Invited me to the bachelor party so I can 'give him a blessing' to marry Harry, and she said to invite Cordy to her shower as well."

"Explanation for the cuts then?"

"Ahh. Well while I was making sure he was a decent guy –"

"While you were stalking him"

"That's what I said. While I was making sure he was a decent guy, he pulled a knife and stood behind Harry all demon like – what was I supposed to think? I jumped him…through a window."

"Right."

Later – after the party:

"Cordy, I am sorry I didn't tell you about her."

"But why didn't you?"

"I don't re –"

Doyle doubled over, holding his head.

"Doyle? Who was it?" Doyle turned and looked at angel.

"Good news and bad news – which do you want first?"

"Good."

"You get to go back to Sunnydale. Bad news – Buffy's in danger"

Cordelia merely sat down at the desk and banged her head on the surface several times.

"When is she not!"


	54. Lazy Days

So we're going to assume that the bachelor party was the Friday following the Sunday night that Angel came back to LA, Doyle's vision was that night (Friday) and that thanksgiving will be the Thursday after that. Everybody following? Good. If you didn't then review and let me know…

Angel left late Sunday night/early Monday morning and Buffy spent the morning just sleeping before studying some from willow's lecture notes. If she wanted to be accepted back into the same year group, she would have to pass a special exam two weeks before Christmas; she had no intention of failing it. University was a means to an end and she didn't want to spend an more time there than necessary!

She wasn't like Willow, who enjoyed learning for learning sake – she was Buffy, who knew that 'everybody' went to college if they could. She could, she was smart enough, but that didn't mean she liked it. If Giles said that she needed a degree and her mother had agreed with him, they were most likely right.

Monday night's was a quick patrol with just one fresh grave, two fledglings testing the boundaries and no unusual encounters. She met the gang for a short time at the Bronze before heading back to Giles for the night.

Tuesday dawned far earlier than was strictly needed and although it did mean she could drive Dawn to school and inter–ask her about what her teachers would be saying to her that evening, Buffy still wasn't happy about it. After a long phone call to Angel at about 10 – Doyle was already married to a woman called 'Harry' and Cordy wasn't happy about that – she spent some more time with Willow's class notes and began work on an essay the group had done and handed in just over a week ago. With no other work to keep her occupied during the day, the first draft should only take the rest of the afternoon and she could have it handed in on Friday. Especially with Giles there to encourage her and help with obscure references. After all, most of Sunnydale High's library was now being stored in his house. And though most schools would not have had the right books for a uni essay, it was only freshman year and between Giles and Angel, Buffy was pretty sure she had access to all the books ever written.

As predicted, by the time dinner had been made the first draft had been written and looked at by Giles to catch any obvious mistakes. Soon it was time to head to Dawn's school.


End file.
